After the Metarex: Tails' Story
by TailsLovesCosmo
Summary: After Cosmo's death, it's all Tails can do to hold it together. His friends try to help him, but nothing works. Amy and Vector cause him nothing but trouble. But it's Sonic's attempts to help that just might ruin any chance Tails has for future happiness.
1. Chapter 1: Picking Up the Pieces

After the Metarex: Tails' Story

Chapter One

"Picking Up the Pieces"

"Sonic!" Tails sobbed, holding onto a tiny white seed. "She can't be gone!" He sounded desperate,

which he was. "This-this can't be all--all that's left of her! Please, Sonic! Please tell me there's something

you can do! That you can save her! That--that this little seed is Cosmo, and you can--can heal her! That you

can make her like she was again!"

"Tails," Sonic said. He looked confused. "I-I don't know--I tried my best, Tails!"

"I promised her she'd be all right!" Tails wailed. "I promised her!" He looked up at Sonic. "And you

promised her that you could do anything once you had all the chaos emeralds!"

"I…I tried chaos regeneration," Sonic said. "I thought it was working. I could feel something

responding. But then all I could find was that little seed."

"I believed in you!" Tails screamed. "I believed in you!"

"You…you should plant that," Sonic said. "I mean…maybe…?" He turned away. "Tails, I don't

understand how my powers work. I never needed to understand them before. I never faced anything I

couldn't handle as Super Sonic until I ran into Dark Oak. I…she was dead, Tails. I know she was. I…I think

that might be her. I…I hope it is. I just don't know!"

Tails sobbed uncontrollably for at least ten minutes. Then he got up, holding onto the seed as if his life

depended on it. He walked away without saying a word to anyone.

"Mister Sonic?" Cream said once Tails was gone. "Is--is Cosmo going to be all right?"

"I don't know, Cream," Sonic said.

"Is Tails going to be all right?" Cream asked.

"I don't know," Sonic said.

"Well, I'm going to get Tails a flower pot, and help him!" Cream declared, running after Tails. For the first time, she was disappointed in Sonic.

"Sonic…" Amy began, but Sonic stopped her.

"Please, Amy, I really can't deal with this right now." Sonic went to his room. It was time he rethought his entire life.

"Tails! Tails, wait!" Cream shouted. Tails kept walking. She caught up to him. "I'm so sorry!" she said. "But--but if Sonic says that's Cosmo, then we just have to trust him."

"Yeah," Tails said dully.

They walked along in silence for a moment. Then Cream tried to talk to him again. "Tails, I know how you feel. I-I killed Emerl. I know, he was a robot, and I wasn't in love with him, but he was my friend, and I broke him. I still miss him."

"I had a crush on this awful girl once named Fiona," Tails said, more to himself than to Cream. "She laughed in my face. Said that no girl would want a geek like me."

"That's terrible!" Cream cried. "She wasn't a nice person!"

"No, no she wasn't," Tails agreed. "After that, I never looked at another girl until…" He looked at the seed in his hand. "I guess I was never supposed to have a lasting relationship."

"No, Tails!" Cream yelled. "You have to believe! That _is _Cosmo! And she _will _come back to us! You just have to keep telling yourself that!"

"I'll--I'll try, Cream." Tails smiled sadly at her. "Thank you."

Cream got Tails a flower pot. Then she rooted around until she found a small plastic container. "When we were on Cosmo's planet, I thought this might be useful," she said. "It's soil from the Green Planet. So maybe it'll help Cosmo grow strong and healthy. We don't want her to come back sick."

"Thank you," Tails said. He watched as Cream filled the flower pot. She planted the seed gently, and then added the little bit of soil from Cosmo's world.

"Here," she said at last, handing the flower pot to Tails.

"I-I don't really know how to take care of her," Tails admitted.

"If you want to marry a plant, you need to know about this sort of thing," Cream said. "Don't worry. Between my mom and me, you'll do great."

She showed Tails how much to water the seed. "Too little, it'll dry up. Too much, you'll drown it."

"What if I mess up?!" Tails cried.

"You won't! I told you, I'll help you through this."

"I'm really lucky to have you for a friend, Cream," Tails said.

"Yeah, a friend," Cream said. Lately, she'd started to think of Tails another way. If Cosmo didn't come back…No! What was wrong with her? Cosmo was her best friend except for Cheese and Amy. What a horrible thought she'd just had. "Shame on you, Kurimu Usagi!" she scolded herself.

Cream forced herself to stop thinking that way. Tails was hurting. "It'll be okay, Tails," she said out loud. "Cosmo loved--loves you. She told me, just before we found out about that thing in her head, that she didn't think she could ever be happy again. Her mother and sisters and everybody else were dead, and she'd cry herself to sleep sometimes. But you made her happy again. After she found out she was a spy, she kept crying, "Tails must hate me now!" She didn't care what anybody else thought about her. She needed to know that you still believed in her." Cream sighed. "She used to ask Amy how to get you to like her. That night on Planet Marumorin, when you two fell into the Lake of Love together…Cosmo said that that was the happiest night of her life."

Tails knew that Amy liked to say that she'd set them up that night, even if it was an accident. She'd been trying to put a love charm on Sonic. Vector had claimed that he'd set Tails and Cosmo up the day of that wacky party. But the truth was, Tails had been in love with Cosmo since he'd first seen her fall out of the sky. When it looked like she was starting to like Knuckles, Tails had wanted to punch the echidna right in the nose. Of course, he fully realized Knuckles could break him in half without trying, but he hadn't cared.

Cream left Tails alone. There was a good chance that this wasn't Cosmo. He hadn't told anyone, but he'd seen her. After the explosion. For one wonderful moment, he'd thought, "She made it! She's okay!" But then he had realized he could see right through her. A ghost? But, if she was a ghost, then she was dead. Could Sonic and Shadow really bring back someone who was dead? She had missed her family so much. If she was with them again, would she be willing to leave them again, just to be with him?

When Tails returned to the bridge, Amy Rose threw her arms around him. "Oh, Tails, I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah," Tails said without emotion. He realized it hadn't fully hit him yet. He hoped it had happened too quickly for her to suffer. If she came back, would the memory haunt her? Would she hate him for shooting her? He didn't say any of this out loud. In the future, it would be very difficult for Tails to discuss his feelings with anyone.

"Tails, I'm so sorry I went on and on that day you two fell into the Lake of Love," Amy said. Tails realized she had been talking the whole time he'd been thinking. "I did a tarot reading for you two. It said that you'd have to face a lot of obstacles, but if you both just hung on, everything would work out in the end! I swear, Tails, I never saw anything in the cards about her dying!"

Tails rolled his eyes. Amy had decided while on Marumorin that she wanted to be a psychic.

"We'd won," Tails said dully. "Red Pine. Yellow Zelkova. Black Narcissus. Pale Bay Leaf. All dead. We'd beaten all of them. But Dark Oak just wouldn't give up! I hope he's suffering horrible now!"

Amy and Cream both gasped. Tails sounded so full of anger and hatred. His teeth were bared. Amy looked into his eyes. There had always been a little light shining in them. A light of hope no matter what. It was nearly gone now. A part of Tails had died with Cosmo.

"She might still come back," Cream pointed out.

"I think Shadow died, too," Sonic said softly.

"Good!" Tails said. "I hope he's in the same pit of fire that Dark Oak's burning in!"

"Tails," Chris said, "Shadow was out friend too. He lost everything, just like Cosmo did. He couldn't remember us. He couldn't remember Maria. I'm sure if he could, he would have…"

"Would have what?" Tails demanded. "Told Cosmo why he was going to kill her?! Well, he finally succeeded, didn't he. He killed her!" He looked at his hand. The hand that had pressed the button. "No. No, I killed her. I…" He held his hand up. "You wouldn't think that this was the hand of a killer, would you?"

"Tails, you're not a killer," Sonic said softly.

"I'm not?" Tails looked around. "Then where is she, Sonic? Where's Cosmo? Can you swear to me that that seed you gave me is her? That she'll come back to me someday? WELL, CAN YOU?!?"

To everyone's shock, Tails suddenly slapped Sonic's face. "You're supposed to be invulnerable when you're Super Sonic! So why did you just float there in space until Cosmo offered to sacrifice herself to save you?"

"You're right," Sonic admitted. "I shouldn't have let her do that. I should have stopped her. I'm supposed to be the hero, but she really put me to shame."

"Oh, poor Sonic," Tails said. "I hope I didn't make you cry."

"Tails, please!" Cream wailed. "Don't hurt your friends! Cosmo wouldn't want you to be like this. She wanted everybody to be happy. I was going to ask her to come and live with me and Cheese after we stopped the Metarex."

"You let her go out there all alone!" Tails yelled at Cream. The little bunny started to cry.

"Hey!" Amy yelled. "Leave Cream alone!"

"And you! You used to be so mean to her!" Tails knew what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself now. "You were so jealous because she wanted to see Sonic! You're a psycho!"

"I'm a psycho?!" Amy yelled. A pico-pico hammer was suddenly in her hands. "Let me show you what a psycho I can be!!"

"Amy, no!" Sonic said, grabbing her arm. "Tails doesn't know what he's saying."

"Shut up!" Tails screamed. "You've been speaking for me my entire life! You're not my father!"

"He's got you there," Knuckles said.

"You!" Tails yelled. "You were all for that brain surgery! Cosmo could have gone blind and deaf. She could have been paralyzed or suffered permanent brain damage! She even might have died on the operating table!"

"I didn't say we should do it!" Knuckles argued. "I said it was the only way to set her free unless we stopped the Metarex once and for all. I didn't want to hurt her! I was thinking of other people."

"You were thinking about yourself!" Tails yelled. "I don't care how strong you are!" He started towards Knuckles. "I'm gonna punch you right in the nose!" He took a step forward. His legs wobbled. His eyes rolled back in his head. He collapsed onto the floor.

"Oh no!" Cream cried. "What happened to him?"

"He had a meltdown!" Chris said. "Guys, I'm sorry, but Tails may never be himself again. Even if that seed is Cosmo. And I just can't accept that idea. Dead is dead!"

"Shut up!" Cream yelled. "What if Tails hears you?"

Everyone stared at Cream. She was shaking violently.

"Come on, Cream," Amy said, taking her by the hand. "You need to rest for awhile."

"No!" Cream said. "I have to be here for Tails!"

"I'll take care of him," Sonic promised. He picked his friend up. Tails was like a limp rag. "You go on with Amy. Don't worry, Cream. He'll be okay."

Cream looked unconvinced, but allowed Amy to take her to her room.

Sonic carried Tails to the ship's sickbay. He laid him down on the same table that Tails had used to scan Cosmo for the device in her head.

"You might want to strap him down," Knuckles said softly.

"He's not crazy!" Sonic said. "He'll be okay!"

"Sonic," Chris said. "We have to face reality. I'd like to believe that that's Cosmo, too. But it's just too unbelievable. Tails is going to need help we can't give him."

"No!" Sonic said. "I promised him! I promised Cosmo! If Cosmo doesn't come back, I'm a liar!"

"I'm sorry, Sonic, but this isn't about you," Chris said. "Tails didn't watch Cosmo die. He killed her. I don't see how he can ever get over that. To get over her death, he'd have to tell himself that it didn't matter. But to do that, he'd have to tell himself that Cosmo didn't matter."

"I promised them!" Sonic insisted. "I just stood there, instead of getting into the Sonic Driver before Cosmo went out there. I let her save me! The hero saves the damsel in distress! The damsel doesn't save the hero!"

"Sonic…" Chris looked very worried now.

"I'm okay," Sonic said. "Don't worry about me. I'm not the one whose whole world just came to an end today, Chris."

Tails came to a few minutes after Chris and Knuckles left, shaking their heads. He didn't let on that he was awake. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to do anything. Now he knew why Cosmo had taken to her bed when she found out the Metarex were working through her. It wasn't to sleep. Sleep was impossible. It was just that laying in bed with your eyes shut was the closest you could come to simply not being. Tails wondered if he could just not get up again. At least, not until Cosmo was back. How long would it take? Months? Years?

"I'll wait forever," he whispered.

"Tails? You awake, little buddy?" Sonic asked.

Tails rolled over. If he opened his eyes, he'd see the ceiling, not Sonic.

"Tails? Do you…do you hate me now? Sonic asked.

"No," Tails said softly. "But…but I can't deal with you now, Sonic."  
Sonic sighed. "I understand," he said. "We're heading home now. I guess Eggman'll be up to his old tricks soon, huh?" There was no response. "Try to get some rest, little brother. Good night." Sonic left the room.

Rest? No rest for the wicked, and wasn't that what he was? Killing the girl he said he loved? All that time they'd been together, and he had never told her how he felt until the very end. All that time Vector had been hiding them while he tried to repair the Blue Typhoon. He and Cosmo had been alone together for so long. Had he told her how he felt then? No! He'd blathered on and on in techno babble, even though he knew she didn't understand most of what he was saying. He'd make mindless small talk. About the weather. What was wrong with him?!

And when she'd become despondent about the device in her head. What had he done? Had he promised her she'd be okay? Had he held her hand and tried to comfort her? No again! He'd just read the results, and gotten into a pointless argument with Knuckles! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

He place one hand on the cold floor. "The floor's good enough for me," he decided. He climbed off the table. He stroked it gently. "You were here!" he whispered. "You were right here. Just a little while ago. And now! And now!"

He threw himself on onto the floor. "Oh please, God! Please, give her back to me! I'll never ask for anything else my entire life! Please, just give me another chance! Please! Please! Please! PLEASE!!!"

Tails cried himself to sleep. It was the first of many times he would need to do this over the months ahead. It was already the next day on Mobius. April 30. Still early in the year. But Tails' life would be sad and joyless as the months went by. The remainder of this year would affect everyone, and rarely for the better. But no one would be affected as much as Tails. He would be relieved when the year was over.

Because it was destined to be the worst year of Tails' life.

_Mother. Tails is suffering so. Is there nothing I can do to help him?_

_No, my darling. Only time can mend his heart. Now, it's time to come home, Cosmo._

_Yes, Mother. Good-bye, Tails…good-bye…I'll always love you._

_Oh, Mother! Everything here is…so beautiful!_

The End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2: Going Home

After the Metarex: Tails' Story

Chapter Two

"Going Home"

Tails awoke to the soft sounds of his friends speaking in the next room. He was laying on the

examination table again. Somebody must have moved him while he was sleeping.

"Is he still asleep?" Cream asked. "I could hear him sobbing all night. I hope he feels better today."

Tails rolled his eyes. How could he feel any better? Cosmo was still dead. He thought to go check on his

seed. But one day wouldn't change anything, would it? He knew nothing about the Seedrians. Cosmo was a

plant, yet his scans had shown that she had a digestive tract like an animal. But, of course, if there'd been

any change in the seed, someone would have told him.

_Unless it died…_a little voice told him. _They'd hide that from you._ He forced himself not to think that

way. Not yet. Not while there was still hope.

Tails decided to keep playing that he was asleep. If his friends knew he was awake, they'd want to talk to

him. He didn't need their pity.

"Well, Cosmo," he thought, "if you did leave me, then at least you're with your mother and sisters again.

That's what you wanted more than anything, to get them back." But how could she be at rest if she was that seed? His head hurt. Science he could understand. But religion took faith. You couldn't analyze it. You just had to believe.

Tails heard soft footsteps approaching. They were slow, careful.

"Tails?" As he had thought, it was Cream. "I brought you something to eat. I'll…I'll just leave it right here, okay?'

Food. That was the thing about Cream and her mother. They thought food could solve any problem. No, that was cruel to think that. Cream was doing her best. She was a good friend, and she deserved better.

"I'm sorry Tails," Cream said. "I'm so sorry I didn't try to stop her. I didn't know…I thought she had a plan, and was just taking it to Sonic. She--she was smiling. When she left, I mean. She just let out a big sigh and floated away. I didn't know she could do that! And then--and then she just--grew up! She was so beautiful. Just like a fairy princess. And I thought, ' She's going to do something wonderful now, and save us!' I-I didn't know that she'd gone out to die! I didn't even say good-bye! I just said 'Where are you going?' I-I guess I'm a bad friend!"

"Don't blame yourself, Cream," Tails said, finally pulling the blanket off of his face. "There was nothing you could have done. I'm the one that should be sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Or Amy. I--you'll have to forgive me if I keep acting up. I really don't know what I'm doing anymore."

"I'm glad we're still friends," Cream said, "I don't want to lose you too."

"Thank you for putting up with me," Tails said.

"No problem," Cream said.

Tails didn't know why he could talk to Cream. He didn't think he could handle a conversation with anyone else just then. That was sad. He had thought that he and Sonic would be best friends forever.

"You shouldn't have to be going through all of this," Tails told her. "Neither of us should. We're just kids. I'm sorry you've had to see so much suffering and death, Cream. You shouldn't have to deal with getting captured by Eggman, or shot at by robots, or being lost on alien planets…"

Cream patted his hand. "I'm okay," she said. "Going into space was a great adventure. If only Cosmo hadn't…" She bit her lower lip. "It _is_ possible, right? I mean, Super Sonic made that seed trying to save her, so it _could_ be Cosmo. I mean, Chris says people don't come back, but Shadow came back, and he was dead, right?"

Tails shook his head. "I don't know Cream. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know much of anything." He looked up at the ceiling for a minute. "If--if it's not Cosmo, I…I don't want her to be forgotten," he said at last. "I want everyone to know that they're still alive because of her. She saved the entire galaxy!"

Cream smiled sadly. "You're right," she said. "We should make a statue for her or something. And put her name in the school books. If we ever have school again, that is." One of Eggman's robots had stepped on the school while Cream was in kindergarten. When they'd left, Princess Sally had been overseeing the construction of a new school. Tails had promised to help. A lot of good he'd be in his current shape.

Cream put her arms around him. "It's okay," she promised. "I just watered her seed. We just have to believe, Tails."

"Thanks, Cream," Tails said. "Now, I'd like a little time alone, okay?"

"As soon as you eat something," Cream said firmly.

Tails forced down a few bites. Cream had brought him a soda. He drank the whole thing.

"Wow, you were thirsty!" Cream said, taking the empty can. "I'll get you another. Make sure you finish your food."

"I'll try," Tails said. But once she left the room, he pulled the blanket back over his head again.

The day crawled by, but later Tails would only remember the times that Cream came in. The first time, she sighed when she saw that he hadn't eaten anymore. She took his tray away without saying anything, and left him another soda. The next time, she brought him more food. Well, he'd drank the soda anyway. She returned again, this time with some of her mother's sugar cookies. She'd offered them to Cosmo, who hadn't been up to eating them. This time, she gave him milk. "Too much soda's not good for you," she said softly before leaving.

Tails didn't care about what was good for him. He shut his eyes and prayed he'd get home soon. He needed to get away from the ship. He had to get away from the memories that were everywhere onboard.

After what seemed like a very, very long time, Tails at last got up. He removed his shoes so that no one would hear him walking about. He didn't want to run into anyone. The floor was like ice under his bare feet, but he felt he deserved to be uncomfortable after what he'd done.

Tails went to Cosmo's seed. It didn't look any different. He sat down beside it. "Well, here we are," he

said softly. "I don't know what's going on right now with you. Are you hurt? Confused? Are you just

looking down at me from Heaven talking to a flower pot and wondering when I lost my mind?" He rubbed his head. "I saw you that one time, didn't I? You kissed me. At least, you tried to kiss me. I-I'm sorry, Cosmo, but…but

I couldn't feel you. Please, if you can, let me know what you want. Are you going to come back to me?

Am I just raving? " He got up. "I'll be back in the morning. Guess it's already morning now, huh? Well, I'll take you home with me, and--and then we'll see if…" He rubbed at his eyes. "Good night, Cosmo. I'm going to keep praying for you to come back to me."

Tails went back to the sickbay. He stared at the wall for a long time before he finally slept.

The next day, Tails got up. He looked at himself in the sink. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked through the medicine chest. He found a bottle of eye drops. Knuckles didn't like to admit it, but he had very sensitive eyes. Bright lights left the echidna blind as a bat. He wondered if that was one of the things Knuckles liked in Rouge.

Tails laid down on the table and put a drop in his left eye. It burned for a minute. He blinked several times. Once he could see again, he put a drop in his right eye. It burned like crazy.

"Tails?" That was Amy's voice.

"Just a minute, Amy," Tails said, putting away the bottle. His right eye still hurt. He wondered if Amy was going to clobber him.

"We're…going to land soon, Tails," Amy said softly. "Maybe you'll feel better when you're back in your own house again."

"Yeah," Tails said. He thought he'd prefer Amy angry than looking like she did. Like she was about to cry. "My fault," Tails said to himself. "I've got a lot to answer for."

"If you ever need anything," Amy went on, leaning against one wall, "you know I'm just down the road from you. And Cream and Vanilla are even closer. You don't have to go through this alone, Tails."

"So, what do you think?" Tails asked. "Could that seed be Cosmo, or am I going crazy?"

"Don't say that!" Amy yelled. "You're not going to go crazy! My cards insist that everything's going to work out between the two of you!"

Amy's cards hadn't been right yet. They'd said that Cream would get a boyfriend, and that Cosmo would come into a lot of money. And, of course, that Sonic would marry Amy.

"You need to eat more," Amy added. "You're going to make yourself sick, and Cream feels bad that you've left her food untouched. You're not still angry at her, are you?"  
"Of course not," Tails said, rubbing his eye. That stuff really smarted. "I'm not angry at you, either, Amy. I just really lost it, didn't I?"

"I don't blame you for being angry with me," Amy said. "I didn't like Cosmo at first. She was so pretty, and refined, and sometimes I'd talk to her, and she seemed to be ignoring me. I thought she was a snob. Then I realized how much she liked to daydream. I guess she'd just tune me out. Hah! Can't blame her. Sonic always does."

"Amy…" Tails said softly. "If--if you had to shoot Sonic, to save everyone, you couldn't have done it, could you?"

Amy looked shocked by the question. She considered it a moment, then shook her head. "No. No, I couldn't do it."

Tails looked down at the floor. "Do you think you love Sonic more than I love Cosmo. Or do you think I'm just a heartless person?"

Amy put her arms around him. "You're not heartless, Tails," she said. "If anything, you feel too much. You wear your heart on the sleeve. It's easy to get it broken that way." She looked into his eyes. "You had an impossible choice to make, and there was just no way that it could end happily for you. But we're all alive now, Tails. You and me and Cream and your parents…all because of you!"

"No!" Tails said, pulling away from her. "Not me. Cosmo saved us all."

"Because she loved you," Amy said. "She wanted to keep you safe. That's why you have to snap out of this, Tails. Whether Cosmo's in that flower pot, or up in Heaven, you can't let yourself fall apart. She wanted you to be happy. If she comes back, you don't want her to find you laying drunk in a gutter."

"I'm trying my best," Tails said. "Please, Amy. Just give me more time. I have an awful lot going through my head these days."

"You'll be all right," Amy told him. She kissed him on the cheek. "We'll get you through this. One way or the other. You have a cute smile, Miles Prower. I'm not going to rest until I see it again. Often."

Amy left him. Tails looked in the mirror again. What was it Chris' grandfather had said? When someone looked awful? Oh, right. He'd said, "You look like death warmed over."

Tails went back to his room and started packing. Still no change in the seed. Maybe Sonic hadn't used enough power? Unfortunately, the chaos emeralds were drained after Sonic and Shadow had super-transformed last time, and they couldn't be recharged until the master emerald was healed. He decided to ask Knuckles roughly how long that would take, when he came across the ice box. After a big battle that had left Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy injured, Tails had talked everyone into giving blood once they'd healed. He'd locked up their blood in the ice box. The next time somebody got hurt, they'd at least get a pint of blood to help their systems. He opened the ice box. Knuckles had needed his after his last battle with Yellow Zelkova, and hadn't wanted to put anymore aside. Everyone else's was still there. All dark red except…He looked at Cosmo's blood. Green. Chlorophyll, he guessed. It occurred to him that, if all else failed, he could clone her with this. But that would only give him a copy of Cosmo. He wanted the real thing. He closed the box. If the others didn't want theirs back, he'd give them to the blood drive. Thanks to Eggman's frequent attacks, there was always someone that needed blood. But he'd keep Cosmo's. It was a part of her. And no one on this planet could use it.

Tails was just about to go talk to Knuckles, when Amy came in. She was carrying a big photo album. "Tails," she said, "I collected all of the pictures we have of Cosmo." She handed the photo album to him.

"Thanks, Amy," Tails said. "I really appreciate that."

"Tails," Cream said, joining them. She was carrying a box. "I packed all of Cosmo's stuff. She…didn't have very much."

"I was going to take her shopping as soon as we got home," Amy said. "She wore a very pretty outfit, but she needed a lot more clothes." She looked down at herself. "Okay, I know I always wear this same dress, but I look at it as my uniform."

"You mean your superhero costume," Cream said.

"Yeah, that too," Amy said.

Tails placed the photo album on top of the box, then took it from Cream. Cosmo's entire life in a box. How sad.

"Tails?" Cream said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tails said. "Thanks, guys. I couldn't get through this without you two."

Once off the Blue Typhoon, Eggman said, "Well, kids, it's been real! See ya around! Ho ho ho!" He nodded at Bokkun. The little robot took a round object from his bag and threw it at them. It exploded. When the smoke cleared, Eggman, Bokkun, Bocoe, and Decoe were gone.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish!" Knuckles said. "Now where's Rouge?"

Tails rolled his eyes. His respect for Knuckles was dropping fast.

"Come on, everybody!" Cream said. "Let's go to my house. I know my mother will be very happy to see all of you!"

Vanilla gave Tails a big hug once she learned what had happened. "Oh, Tails, I'm so sorry! I didn't know her for long, but she was such a nice girl! I'm so sorry she was killed in battle!" Everyone had agreed not to tell that Tails, Sonic, and Shadow had killed Cosmo. Of course, Vector or Charmy might let it slip. And Eggman…well, there was nothing they could do about Eggman knowing.

Vanilla and Cream brought food for everyone. They had a party to welcome everyone back. It was quieter than it should have been, though. No one wanted to upset Tails by laughing or being too happy.

"Cosmo was always afraid that she was a nuisance to everyone," Tails realized, "and now I'm doing the same thing! I gotta at least try to act happy around my friends. They've been through too much for me to depress everybody."

He asked for a toast for Cosmo, then asked Knuckles how long it would take for the master emerald to repair itself.

"Maybe weeks, maybe months," Knuckles said. "It depends on how much it went through when it shattered."

Months. "Well, let me know if I can do anything to help it along," Tails offered.

There was a knock on the door. Vanilla opened it. It was Rouge.

"Hey, luv," Rouge said, pushing past Vanilla into her house. "Nice place you've got here. Mind if I join you?"

"You've got some nerve coming here!" Tails cried. "You said horrible things about Cosmo! You sent Shadow to kill her!"

"Hey," Rouge said, "I can't control Shadow. Even the Doctor had trouble with him. Which reminds me, I asked Eggman what happened to Shadow. He just grinned. He knows something."

"Well, I hope he's dead!" Tails said coldly. "And as far as I'm concerned, you can go and join him anytime, you…"

"Watch it!" Rouge said. She looked like she was about to hit Tails.

"Hey, hey," Knuckles said, putting his arm around Rouge. "The kid doesn't know what he's saying. Have a drink!"

"Juice?!?" Rouge said, looking disgusted. "You have got to be kidding me!" They walked off together, talking quietly, and soon left the party.

"I don't believe him!" Tails yelled. "Of all the…"

"It's okay, little buddy," Sonic said. "I don't trust her either. I'll keep an eye on Rouge. And if Knucklehead wants to be an idiot, well…you don't exactly seem to like the guy much anyway."

"Good riddance!" Vanilla said. Everyone stared at her in shock. The rabbit was always polite to everyone. She noticed their looks and blushed. "I've heard things about her," she explained. "I don't have anything valuable enough to steal, but…"

"I don't like her either," Amy said. "She doesn't care about anyone but herself."

The party broke up soon afterwards. Vanilla and Cream both hugged Tails. He had kept a death grip on the flower pot the entire time. He'd left Cosmo's box on the Blue Typhoon. He'd go back for it once he was sure Cosmo's seed was safe.

Sonic walked Tails home. Amy followed, but made no attempt to grab Sonic like she usually did. At Tails' house, he faced them and said, "I'm okay. I'm not going to commit seppuku or anything like that. I'll be okay, guys."

"You sure?" Amy asked.

"Sure," Tails said. "Go on. Have fun. I'll get by."

Amy gave him a big hug. "I'm still working on that smile," she said.

Tails closed the door. It was a relief not to have anyone staring at him.

Sonic walked Amy home. Amy was thoughtful. Finally, she said, "Chris keeps saying it's impossible for that seed to be Cosmo. What do you think, Sonic?"  
Sonic shook his head. "I don't know, Amy. I'd like to think it is. I mean, what else could it be? Cosmo's child? That doesn't make anymore sense."

"She was always talking about how much she missed her family," Amy said. "Sonic? If that seed _is_ Cosmo, and she decides she wants to stay with her mother and sisters…what will happen to the seed?"

Sonic sighed. "I…I guess it'll just…die," he said.

They walked on awhile. Then Sonic said, "If it _is_ Cosmo, then…"

"Then what, Sonic?" Amy asked. "What's wrong.

"Cosmo died," Sonic said. "I saw her spirit. I _know_ she died. So…so if I…brought her back, then…nobody should have that kind of power, Amy!"

Amy hugged Sonic. Not one of her crazy attacks, but a comforting embrace. "You're a great hero, Sonic," she said. "And…well, if it wasn't Cosmo's time, then it wasn't her time."

"Yeah, but…" Sonic started, but Amy held up her hand.

"You were in the middle of some kind of freaky…space/time warp thingy, right? Maybe it boosted your powers. Maybe bringing Cosmo back is a one time thing. Maybe you couldn't do it again if you tried."

"Well, I did feel kind of strange out there," Sonic admitted. "Like I was Super Saiyan 1, and then, suddenly, I was going up to Super Saiyan 2 or 3." He blushed. "Uh…I kind of got into Dragon Ball Z while I was on Earth."

"That's okay," Amy said. "I was quite a Sailor Moon fan back there.

Amy fought to stay calm, but her heart was beating fast. It seemed to her that Sonic was really opening up to her at last. She didn't realize that he was worried, confused, and scared. He and Tails had killed a complete innocent. On purpose. If Cosmo didn't come back, that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. If she did, then…it was a scary thought.

They parted at Amy's house. She hugged him good-bye. He didn't protest, which made her even more hopeful that he was finally falling in love with her.

Sonic raced off, wondering if his life, let alone Tails', would ever be the same.

_Cosmo…_

_Yes, Mother?_

_You have a very important decision to make._

The end of chapter two


	3. Chapter 3: Holding It Together

After the Metarex: Tails' Story

Chapter Three

"Holding It Together"

Tails placed Cosmo's flower pot on the table in his study. He noticed a book laying there. He remembered he'd just started it when Cream came to remind him about the shooting stars. That had been the night he'd first seen Cosmo. He picked up the book. Science fiction. He read the title, but couldn't remember anything about it. He skimmed through it. No, he didn't recognize this book at all. It didn't matter. He wasn't interested in reading now. He'd spent far too much time reading on the Blue Typhoon, when he should have been talking to Cosmo.

Tails took the book to his bookcase to return it. So many books he hadn't read yet. He put it away, then noticed something that didn't belong there. A romance? Why would he have a romance book in his study? Amy must have left it in his house, and he put it away without noticing what it was. Well, he'd return it the next time he saw her. Poor girl. She had her own problems with love.

He looked through the bookcase. Was there anything he might read just to pass the time until he fell asleep? His eyes fell on the romance again. Would Cosmo have liked it? It took it to his easy chair. He sat down, but didn't open the book. He'd fallen asleep many times on the chair, and had finally redesigned it so that it would recline. He didn't need to fight Eggman with a stiff neck again. Eggman was as crazy as they came, but he could immediately spot any weakness in an opponent and use it to his advantage.

Tails had a mental image of him falling asleep in this chair. Cosmo would come in, take the book, placing a bookmark in it so that he wouldn't lose his place. Then she'd push the chair back, place a pillow under his head, and cover him with a blanket. That wasn't too much to want from life, was it?

"Stop it!" he told himself. "She's coming back! She _has _to come back! Think of something else." He decided he needed to work. But on what? Well, the wave motion gun (which he'd named the Sonic Driver, but Amy had kept calling the Sonic Power Cannon until she had Tails calling it that) was completely totaled. He'd remove every trace of it. Then he'd start dismantling all guns from the Tornado and the vehicles he'd made for their trip into space.

Tails suddenly felt very restless. He had to get out of the house. Had to move. Was this why Sonic ran all the time? Well, maybe he'd start joining him.

Tails patted the flower pot. "I'll be right back," he said, no longer thinking it the slightest bit odd to be talking to a seed in a pot. He walked into the bathroom first and gave himself a good look in the mirror. Odd-shaped head. Goofy eyes. These stupid clumps of hair that were always falling in his eyes. He opened the medicine cabinet, took a small pair of scissors, and cut them off. Now he really looked weird. Oh well, who cared? If Cosmo took a long time to come back, his hair would regrow by then. If she didn't come back then it didn't matter. He wasn't going to look for another girl. Never.

"Well," he muttered, "that was an interesting couple of minutes. Better put these scissors away, though, before Sonic shows up and says I'm trying to kill myself." Funny, but the thought hadn't occurred to him. Not while there was still a chance they'd be together again. If something happened to the seed, or it turned out not to be Cosmo…

"It has to be Cosmo," Tails said, still talking to himself as he looked in on the seed again. "What else could it be? Her child?" He decided he didn't like that train of thought, and mentally changed subjects.

"It's dark now," he muttered. "I can go for a walk without anybody following me." Tails realized he was thinking more and more like a hermit. Well, if Cosmo didn't come back, being a hermit might not be so bad. No sad, pitying faces. Tails hated that.

"Well, Cosmo, I'm…going out for a little while. I'll be right back. Love you!"

Tails stepped outside and locked his front door. Normally he didn't bother. There were no thieves in town, and he really had nothing to steal until now. But Cosmo's seed was more precious to him that his own life.

The night air was cool and crisp. It would be summer soon. Tails had wanted to take Cosmo to the beach. He remembered the one time they had gone. It had been on planet Marumorin, the day after they'd fallen off of Romance Rock into the Lake of Love. Cosmo had swam like a fish. Tails had tried to keep up with her. Hah! Like trying to keep up with Sonic running! The only way he could catch her was by flying over the water. It should have been a romantic date, but Tails had blown it by blathering about how he was fixing the holographic projectors on the Blue Typhoon. Now that he thought about it, Cosmo had started looking like she was getting a headache. How often had he bored her out of her mind?

The moon was less than half full. Tails was glad. He didn't think he could deal with another full moon just now. The full moon would always remind him of that beautiful, wonderful night Amy's trap had catapulted them into the Lake of Love together. That would have been a nice story to tell their kids one day.

Kids? A fox and a…talking rose? Well, that was how he'd thought of her at first. It was funny. Cosmo had no apparent nose or ears, yet she was beautiful. Maybe it was her eyes. They were the bluest eyes he'd eve seen. He felt like he could fall into her eyes and drown, and not mind.

Tails realized he was approaching Cream and Vanilla's house. It was late, and he didn't feel like getting dragged inside by Cream and making polite conversation with Vanilla just then, so he took to the sky until he was far past the house. He landed, and started walking again. It was interesting, walking at night. The world seemed very different. Things that were cold and harsh in the daylight seemed softer, gentler in the dark. It was almost like a fairy land. The burn marks from Eggman's robots looked like little pools of water from certain angles. Debris from a hundred battles looked like tiny fairy hills. Tails didn't realize it, but he was starting to think poetically instead of scientifically.

Thinking of Eggman made Tails wonder if the mad scientist should be dealt with permanently, the way the Metarex had been. How many people had been hurt because of him? Sonic's father and Uncle Chuck had both been robotic zed. Sonic's mother was so traumatized, some of her hair had turned white. Amy had lost both parents, and Cream, her father. Sure, Eggman had helped them in space, but only after he'd realized the Metarex would have betrayed him sooner or later. Tails sighed. Maybe Eggman _should _be killed, but Tails wouldn't be the one to do it. He was starting to feel the same way about violence that Cosmo had.

Tails suddenly thought about Chris. He'd ignored him ever since Chris had stated "dead is dead." Maybe he was right, but Tails couldn't deal with that idea just now. He should make an effort to be nicer to him, though. Chris had gotten there by connecting the time/space generator with the master emerald. Now that it was shattered, it could be months before Chris could leave Mobius. Of course, that was assuming the connection hadn't been permanently broken. He wondered if Chris was having the same trouble with people staring at him that Tails and the others had had on Earth.

"I just hope nobody tells him the truth," Tails muttered. The truth was that Mobius _was_ Earth, far in the future. Invading aliens, octopus-like horrors called the Xorda, had attempted to destroy all life. They were somehow able to utilize chaos energy, and had blasted the entire world, thinking it would kill everyone. Instead, it had mutated the animals, making them human-like. At least, that's what Tails had read in an ancient disc he'd found in Eggman's lair one time. Of course, Eggman might have faked it hoping Tails would find it. He looked up into the sky. If the Xorda _were _real, and ever discovered that they had failed, they'd be back. That was a cheery thought.

The road at last led down to the seashore. Again, Tails remembered that one day on the beach. Cosmo had only had two toes on each foot. Her feet had resembled those socks Mr. Tanaka had worn. What had he called them? Tabi?

Tails walked along the beach. A cool, salty breeze filled his nostrils. He wondered what it had like for Cosmo, having to grow up on a ship. The air and water would have been constantly recycled. How sad for anyone, but especially a plant. Cosmo had been ecstatic to walk barefoot on dirt and grass. Weather had frightened her at first. Rain. Snow. They had completely shocked her. Then they had delighted her. Seeing her happy had made the years Tails had spent fighting Eggman slip away. Suddenly, he was his right age. Now, he felt old again.

Tails took off his shoes and stepped into the water. "Ack! Cold! Cold!" He quickly jumped out of the water. "Okay, bad idea!" He'd heard of people that liked to swim in icy water, but he clearly wasn't going to be one of them. He wondered if Cosmo would have.

Tails decided he'd had enough walking for one night. He wanted to get back before Sonic put out an all points bulletin on him missing. He started back along the beach, holding his shoes. Sand stuck to his wet feet. It felt gross, but he didn't care. He could wash his feet when he got home. At the edge of the road, he put his shoes back on. Now he had wet sand in his shoes. It felt even worse now, but he decided that he deserved a little discomfort.

It seemed colder now. Maybe it was because his feet were wet, or maybe it was because the trip home was always a let down for him. Going new places were exciting. Going home just meant turning around and heading right back where you'd already gone.

Once home, Tails took off his shoes. He washed his feet in the tub, then started the task of removing clingy wet sand from his shoes. While he was working, he felt a suddenly breeze.

"No point in hiding from me, I can tell you're here, Sonic!"

"How are you doing, little buddy?" Sonic asked.

"Okay, I guess," Tails said. He set down the show he'd been cleaning and started pacing. He walked back and forth across his living room carpet. "Sonic?" he said suddenly. "Why do you run all the time?"

"Huh?" Sonic said.

"You run all day and a lot at night," Tails explained. "Every day. Every night. Are you running towards something you're looking for? Or are you running away from something you don't want to deal with?"

Sonic looked surprised, then thoughtful. "You know, I've never really thought about it before. I just… can't seem to sit still. I don't know. Maybe my speed powers make me hyper." He looked away. Tails suspected there was more, but he didn't want to press Sonic. "Is that what you were doing? Trying to get away from your worries?"

"Doesn't help, does it?" Tails asked. "You can't run away from yourself, because wherever you go, you take yourself with you."

"Uh…yeah," Sonic said.

"Don't mind me," Tails said, still pacing. "I don't know what I'm talking about right now."

"Um…you're gonna wear yourself out, Tails," Sonic said, "and I don't mean just with the pacing. It's pretty late, and you're still growing. You need your rest."

"Why?" Tails said, still pacing. "I don't have any reason to get up early. I have no place to go. I don't feel like seeing anyone."

"I'm sorry, Tails," Sonic said. "You shouldn't be helping me fight Eggman. You should be in school. Your biggest worries should be passing the big math test, or asking the girl that sits in the desk in front of you to go bowling with you or something."

"I'm okay," Tails said. "Eggman destroyed the school years ago, and I probably would have graduated by now anyway. I think I'm too smart for my own good. Maybe how you had to save me from that bully, what was his name? Anton?"

"That goofy fox with the bad toupee?" Sonic asked. "The one that goes out with Bunny? When did he ever pick on you?"

"Not him!" Tails said. "The guy I'm talking about was a lizard. He had a little brother, I don't remember his name."

"Druuna?" Sonic asked. "Man, I haven't thought about that guy in years! Wonder whatever happened to the creep? Ah, who cares?" He looked seriously at Tails now. He bit his lower lip. Then he said softly, "Do you…do you hate me?"

Tails sighed, and finally stopped pacing. "No, Sonic," he said at last. "The Unbreakable Bond is still holding." Tails had called their friendship that years ago. Back when he had thought that Sonic was infallible. They were still friends, but Tails would never look at Sonic the same way again. For the first time, Tails realized the Blue Blur couldn't fix all of his problems. "I'm still angry," Tails at last said, "but more than that…I'm disappointed. You let me down when I needed you the most." He turned away. "I mean…I can keep saying that seed's Cosmo coming back, but…is it really even possible? Maybe I should ask my Uncle Merlin. He's a scholar on chaos power. But he's out in the wilderness somewhere now, doing research. I don't want to bother him."

"I should have moved sooner," Sonic said. "Before Cosmo got in the way. And then--"

"I know," Tails said. Once Cosmo had the field down, Sonic hadn't wasted much time getting ready to be launched. Neither of them said it. It would stand between them for a long, long time.

Sonic hanged his head. "That was a real hero," he said at last.

"You know, Chris was probably right when he said I'll never be the same again," Tails said. "I don't feel the same. And Sonic, I--I want you to know that I'm going to keep fighting Eggman, but on my own terms. No more guns. I'm dismantling all of the guns from my vehicles. A gun took her away from me. I won't let one take anybody else." He rubbed his hair. "Like the new 'do I gave myself?" he asked. "I could see you staring, but not wanting to say anything. "My old life just doesn't seem important to me anymore. I don't know what I want now, but it's time for changes."

"You-you gonna be okay?" Sonic asked. "Can I get you anything?"

"Can you go back through time?" Tails asked. "Can you use chaos control to save Cosmo?"

"I…I wouldn't know how to begin to do that," Sonic admitted. "There's so much about my powers I don't know. I'm sorry."

"Well, I had to ask," Tails said. If the master emerald were working, I'd try…something, but…"

"Time travel can be very dangerous," Sonic said. "I sent us to Earth by total accident, and I needed you and Chris' grandpa to get us all back again."

"Well, I don't have any definite plans," Tails said. "I'm just thinking out loud. I think I'll be doing a lot more of that from now on. Now, it's nice of you to care, Sonic, but I think I can take care of myself. I'm going to bed."

"Tails," Sonic said, I…"

"It's okay, Sonic," Tails said. "I know you're sorry, and I'm not going to do anything to myself. Good night, Sonic."

Sonic sighed, defeated. "Good night, little buddy."

Sonic left, determined to check on Tails later. He seemed okay, but he was talking really weird. And if he decided to build a time machine, he could cause all kinds of damage. Sonic didn't want to wake up to find that he was a cat or a human or something.

"I don't have any choice," Sonic said to himself as he ran down the road. "I was going to call in Tails' parents, but maybe his Uncle Merlin would be a better idea. Tails is right. If it _is_ possible that I saved her, Merlin'll know. Bringing in his parents will cause us both problems. His mom'll lock him in the house and tell me to get lost. Just because I put his dad in jail once when he broke the law."

Tails didn't go right to bed. He just wanted Sonic out of the house. He sat down in his easy chair and picked up that romance book again. If Cosmo _did_ come back, he'd need some pointers on what to do. He didn't want to end up talking to her about the weather. But the heroine was so whiny he couldn't pay attention. His eyes felt heavy. Finally, he slumped back in his chair. Sadly, there was no one bring him a pillow and blanket.

_Well, little sister, what do you think?_

_I--I don't know, oneesama. I don't know a lot of things._

_Well, there's no hurry._

_You won't be angry with me?_

_Is that what you're afraid of? Still silly, I see._

_Don't make fun of her, dear. It's a very difficult decision for her._

_Oh, she knows I love her, don't you._

_Of course. And that's what makes this all the harder…_

The end of chapter three

If you're getting tired of the doom and gloom, don't worry. Things are going to start picking up as soon as we get to the end of episode 78. By the way, I've read about the original Japanese version, but I haven't seen it, so I might get some points wrong. Feel free to correct me if I make mistakes, and I'll try to fix them.


	4. Chapter 4: Tribute to the Heroes

Let me just mention that Sonic and all other characters are copyrighted and trademarked by Sega.

AFTER THE METAREX

Chapter Four

"Tribute to the Heroes"

The next morning, Tails started dismantling the burned-out husk of the Sonic Driver. The amount of energy necessary to cause so much damage had to be unbelievable, and that was just the power released by _launching_ Super Sonic and Super Shadow from it! How much worse must the impact have been? Poor Cosmo! No wonder there had been no body for Sonic to find! She must have been completely vaporized! He prayed it was over quickly, that she didn't suffer.

Tails broke down thinking about it. Depression hurt too much. He allowed his rage to build up inside of him, and then let it go. He attacked the Sonic Driver with added gusto, imagining that it was really Dark Oak's head he was pounding with his sledgehammer.

"Give her back!" he screamed. "Give her back to me! You took her from me! You took her from me! YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!!!"

He couldn't stop until his hands were numb and his arms were sore. He threw the hammer across his workshop.

"Calm down, little buddy."

"How long have you been here, Sonic?" Tails asked, still trying to catch his breath.

"Long enough," Sonic said. "Smashing that won't really help, you know."

Tails sighed as he started picking up pieces and dropping them in one of several trash cans he owned. "I need to do something," he said. "Something to keep me from thinking." He stared at Sonic. "I've tried and I've tried, but I still can't think of another way to stop that devil! There had to have been another way, Sonic! There just had to have been!"

Sonic sighed. Tails was constantly working with figures Sonic couldn't begin to figure out. Trying to find another way to destroy Dark Oak. So he was still trying, and still failing to find a solution, Sonic realized. That was approaching obsessive.

"Have you eaten today?" Sonic asked.

"I think I had some bread or something awhile back," Tails said dismissively. "I'll eat when I'm hungry enough!"

"Sally wants us to come to the park," Sonic said, changing the subject. "There are a lot of people who are going to want to see you."

"Not interested," Tails said, shaking his head. "I think I'll just…I don't know…go read or something." He started to walk past Sonic. "Please make an excuse to me, okay? I just can't deal with a lot of people right now."

"You need to get out, Tails," Sonic insisted. "You can't just stay by yourself all the time. Come on, little buddy. Cream and Amy need to see you're okay."

"Okay?" Tails said. "I don't even know what that means anymore, Sonic. But I'll come if it's really so important to you."

Tails moaned when they reached the park. He'd expected a few people. Amy, Cream, Knuckles, Chris, Vanilla, Rouge, and Sally, maybe Vector, Espio, and Charmy. They were there, but so were a huge crowd. Tails also picked out Bunny Rabbot, her husband, Antoine de'Cullotte, Dulcy the dragon, Knuckles' some-time girlfriend, Julie-Su, who was exchanging glares with Rouge, Mighty and Ray, Tails' old mentor, Rotor, and his Uncle Merlin. He glared at Sonic. "I told you to leave Uncle Merlin alone!"

"It was either call him, or your mom and dad," Sonic said seriously. "Please, Miles, I'm just trying to help." Sonic had called him Miles. That was a bad sign.

Tails sighed. "What is all this?" he asked, waving a hand at the crowd.

"Tails!" Princess Sally cried, throwing her arms around him. "How are you?"

"Oh. Hi, Sally," Tails said. "Um…well, I guess I'm getting by."

A hologram flashed on. "Tails! Great to see you!"

"Hi, Nicole," Tails said. "I see you've updated your image." Nicole had been an ancient freedom fighter, centuries ago. Her body was long gone, but her mind had been preserved on the internet.

"Yes, thanks for noticing," Nicole said. She looked almost completely real now.

"Um, so…what did you want me for, Sally?" Tails said. "I mean, 'Princess Sally.'"

Sally shook her head. "We've been friends for years, Tails. Just Sally is fine."

"Oh, okay," Tails said.

"I was so sorry to hear about your friend, Tails," Sally said. Nicole nodded agreement.

"Yeah," Tails said, "thanks."

"Come on, Tails," Mighty the Armadillo said, grabbing Tails' arm. "Everybody wants to hear from the heroes that stopped the interstellar killers!"

"That's not possible," Tails argued, "the hero that stopped the Metarex isn't here!" But he allowed Mighty to drag him up to the stage set up in the park. Sonic joined them. Everyone that had helped fight the Metarex was already there, except, of course, for Eggman and his robots. Tails glared at Rouge, then looked down at his shoes. He didn't want to cause a scene in front of everyone.

Princess Sally stepped up to a podium. She tapped the microphone there. ""May I have your attention, please?" Tails moaned and sank back in his chair. This was going to be a big to do. He looked over at Sonic. Drag him to something like this when he didn't want to go, would he? Well, maybe some glue in Sonic's running shoes would teach him to know better.

Sally went on. "We are gathered here today to congratulate the champions of Mobius for their heroic victory over the evil interstellar tyrants known as the Metarex. Of course, everyone knows Mobius' greatest hero, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Sonic walked up to the mike, grinning and waving all the way. "Dudes," Sonic said, "fighting Egghead was like a walk in the park, compared to these alien creeps. I remember when I first fought their leader, the monster Dark Oak, in the skies over Mobius. But first, let me tell you how it started…"

Tails groaned. Sonic had started over way back at the very beginning! And he could talk for hours without getting tired. He looked over at Cream. She seemed fascinated by her shoes. Chris was covering his face. Probably embarrassed by Sonic's behavior. Rouge was pretending to be asleep. Knuckles was imitating Sonic's gestures. Sally was looking like she was sorry she'd asked him to speak. Tails could imagine Cosmo, if she'd been there, staring blankly into space, daydreaming. She should be here! She was the main hero!

Only Amy seemed interested in what Sonic was saying. Of course, Sonic could read a laundry list, and Amy would have applauded.

Sonic was now standing on a chair, acting out a big battle. "So then I gave the Metarex a left, and a right, and a spin dash, and then…you do know I can see you, right, Knucklehead?"

"Great, then make way!" Knuckles said, pushing Sonic off the chair. "They want to hear about my battles with Yellow Zelkova!" He cleared his throat. "He was an big as a tree, and ten times as strong as one of Eggman's robots, but even he could not stand against the power of the guardian of the Master Emerald!"

Embarrassingly, Sonic now started to fight Knuckles over the microphone. "You're getting ahead of the story, Rad Red!" Sonic said, stepping on Knuckles' foot.

"You're taking too long, True Blue!" Knuckles insisted, elbowing Sonic in the nose. "Ahem! As I was saying…"

Now Amy got into it. "Cream and I were on a planet loaded with danger!" She waved her pico-pico hammer at Sonic and Knuckles, who backed away. "We were with our dear friend, Cosmo."

At the mention of the dead girl's name, Sonic and Knuckles both started behaving themselves. Amy motioned to Cream. The bunny jumped up and ran to a projector Tails had been vaguely wondering about. An image appeared. Tails bit his lip. Just like his hallucinations. It was Cosmo, big as life, but he knew it was just a film, and that thought nearly broke his heart.

"Cosmo was orphaned by the Metarex," Amy said sadly. "She was the last of her people, and dedicated the rest of her life to stopping them. With her heroic self-sacrifice to destroy the Metarex king, Dark Oak, her species, the Seedrians, became a part of history. I am not exaggerating when I say that none of us would be here now if it hadn't been for her. I'd like to have a moment of silence, for the real hero of our mission."

Amy bowed her head. Tails looked down at the floor and shut his eyes. So Amy thought Cosmo was really dead and gone too. Was he crazy to still hope that that might be here, growing at his house, struggling to come back to him? Tails laced his fingers together the way Cosmo used to, and said a prayer for her.

When Tails opened his eyes, he noticed that Amy was standing beside him. "Would you like to say something about her, Tails?" she whispered.

Tails shook his head. "I can't, Amy," he whispered back. "Please don't ask me!"

The rest of the speechmaking was much more subdued. Sonic talked about Red Pine, the one general he hadn't really fought. He couldn't have been very bright, falling into a black hole like that. Knuckles told about his battles with Yellow Zelkova more calmly. Amy talked about how she and Cream and Cosmo had searched for Sonic. For once, she didn't mention how Cosmo kept falling for the same trap. Instead, she just said the Monkey Metarex had set traps to catch them, and had succeeded more than once. Cream told about the party that Tails and Cosmo had thrown for the others, leaving out what the Chaotix had pulled. Chris told about his battle with Sonic against the Piranha Metarex, and mentioned how he had gone with Cosmo to face the Metarex general, Black Narcissus.

Tails found himself envying Chris for being with Cosmo that day. It should have been him, even if it meant that Tails would have been stabbed instead.

Rouge talked about Shadow, and the Cascadians, especially her friend, Molly. "She was betrayed by her friends, and finally killed right before my eyes," Rouge finished. "But her friends paid a high price for their betrayal. They were violently turned into trees."

Princess Sally whispered to Tails, "Are you sure you don't want to say something?"

"I can't," Tails said, "please don't ask me!"

"Are you sure?" Sally asked. "Amy told me you were the captain."

Tails shook his head. Some captain! They'd only appointed him captain because it was his ship. Most of the time, everyone that ignored him and done what they wanted.

Vector told about how he, Espio, and Charmy had helped the others fight the Metarex. Tails rolled his eyes. They had avoided battle until the very end.

Sonic finally got to the final battle. "We had managed to stop the generals of the Metarex. Red Pine. Yellow Zelkova. Tails, using his fantastic Blue Typhoon Sonic Power Cannon, powered by the Master Emerald, destroyed Black Narcissus and Pale Bay Leaf. But the evil dictator, Dark Oak, had refused to surrender. Even super transformed, I was unable to stop him. His powers were incredible. He just might have destroyed the entire galaxy. It was then, when all hope seemed lost, that Cosmo sacrificed herself, allowing me and Super Shadow to destroy him. But…but Cosmo didn't survive the final battle. She was the bravest person I ever met, and I am honored to have known her."

Sonic bowed. There was a standing ovation.

"Can you hear them, Cosmo?" Tails whispered. "That's for you! My hero!"

"Thank you, Sonic," Sally said, joining Sonic at the podium. "And what about this mysterious Shadow? Who was he, and what happened to him?"

"That's a long, complicated question," Sonic admitted. "Shadow was a hedgehog with powers very similar, but not quite identical to mine. At the end of the final battle, he threw me to safety, just as my super powers were fading."

Tails forced himself not to throw a fit in front of everyone as a tribute started for Shadow. Again, Cream turned on the machine, this time showing a hologram of Shadow. Sonic, Chris, and Rouge all talked about Shadow, both how he'd helped Sonic stop his prototype, the Biolizard, on Earth, then how he'd helped them fight the Metarex in space. Tails gritted his teeth. How dare they compare that jerk to his poor Cosmo?!?

Tails would have jumped up and stopped them, but then he realized that if he mentioned how Shadow had tried to kill Cosmo, it would get out that Cosmo had been an unwitting spy for the Metarex, and he couldn't do that to her.

Despite his anger, Tails' stomach suddenly growled. Luckily, only Sonic, Amy, and Cream seemed to have heard him.

Once the tributes were over, the heroes stood up to thunderous applause. Tails bit his lip again. One hero was missing. Cosmo couldn't even get what was owed to her.

Tails started to leave. He needed peace and quiet. To be alone. But it wasn't to be. People kept coming up and shaking his hand Somebody hugged Amy. Pow!

"Nobody but Sonic hugs me!" she yelled. Obviously, Amy didn't mind making scenes in public. Tails wondered suddenly how she seemed to pull those hammers out of nowhere. Could she have a limited form of chaos control? "Isn't that right, Sonic?" Amy asked.

"You got me wrong, Stranger," Sonic said.

"No flash photography!" Knuckles yelled, covering his face. He was blinking hard. Tails had noticed this before. Knuckles seemed to have very sensitive eyes.

"Why am I analyzing things that don't matter?" he asked himself. "I must be losing it!"

At last, most of the crowd moved on. Just their friends and family were left. Vanilla and Sonic's mother hugged Tails. The strain of constantly worrying about her son, and the fact that her husband, Sonic's father, had been robotic ized by Eggman, had left Sonic's mom with a patch of white hair which she kept dyed.

"Tails! How are you?" Rotor asked, shaking Tails' hand. Rotor had taught Tails about mechanics until he'd finally told Tails one day that he'd surpassed him. Tails had thought the old walrus was being modest at the time. "Haven't seen you in months!"

"Oh, hi, Rotor," Tails said. "Yeah, uh, I've had things on my mind."

"I'm sorry about your friend," Rotor went on, leading Tails to the buffet table. "You've lost weight. Come on, you need to eat."

"I'm fine," Tails insisted. He was really getting sick of people fussing over him.

"Miles! My boy!" Uncle Merlin came up to him. "So good to see you, Nephew!"

"Sonic shouldn't have bothered you, Uncle!" Tails said.

"Nonsense," the old wizard insisted. "I'm never too busy for family. Your friend's right, my boy. You look like…"

"Like death warmed over?" Tails asked. He noticed Uncle Merlin's and Rotot's shocked expressions. "Sorry. I say weird things sometimes these days. Don't mind me. That's old Earth slang. I'm afraid I just…" His stomach growled again. "Sorry," he said.

Uncle Merlin and Rotor insisted that he eat, and Tails realized he was too hungry to argue. He didn't think he could hold down very much, but to his surprise, once he started eating, he found he couldn't stop. Cosmo had been dead for three days, and this was the first good meal Tails had eaten since then.

"Easy there, Tails," Rotor said at last. "Slow down. You'll make yourself sick."

But Tails ended up eating enough to make Dr. Eggman happy. Finally, he glugged down a huge bottle of soda, then collapsed into a chair and let out a huge belch that once would have embarrassed him. It seemed so silly to worry about something like that now. Exhausted and stuffed, Tails soon dozed off.

Amy, Cream, and Vanilla came by to see how he was doing. When they saw he was asleep, they crept softly away.

Sonic came, and spoke softly to Uncle Merlin. "Would you like me to take him home?" Sonic asked.

"That's quite all right," Merlin said. "Let's not disturb him." He motioned for Sonic to follow him. They walked about thirty yards. "It's probably best that you called me and not Miles' parents," Merlin said at last. "You say he's been like this ever since the girl he cared about died?"

"Yeah," Sonic said. "I've tried to help him get through this, but…" Sonic sighed. "I always used to know exactly what to do for him. If he was scared, I'd promise to protect him. If he was hungry, I'd find him food. But this…I don't know what to do about this!"

"How exactly did the poor girl die?" Merlin asked.

Sonic looked away. "Yeah, well…" The wizard tapped his staff on the ground. "It's not my story to tell…" Sonic told him.

"I can't help him if I don't know all the details," Merlin pointed out. "If Miles needs professional help, a psychiatrist will need to hear the complete story."

"Do you really think he needs a shrink?" Sonic asked.

"I'll observe him for awhile before deciding what to do next, Merlin said. "Now, tell me."

Sonic sighed, then told Tails' uncle exactly what happened to Cosmo.

The old fox gasped. "Surely he didn't…?"

"He didn't have any other choice," Sonic said. "We were running out of time fast."

"And you climbed into Miles' cannon, knowing what would happen?"

"Makes me sound like a real jerk, doesn't it?" Sonic asked.

"What a horrible decision for an adult to have to make!" Merlin said. "And Tails is just a child!"

"I…I tried to save her," Sonic said. "I used something I call chaos regeneration. It saved Amy Rose and our human friend, Chris, when they were nearly gone. But Cosmo was completely dead. Disintegrated, in fact. I…I only got a tiny seed. Tails' is raising it in his workshop. Do you think…Is it possible that she could come back? Can chaos magic restore the dead?"

"I don't know," Merlin said. "There is so much we still don't know about chaos. But, if her soul departed…"

"She spoke to me," Sonic said. "Her spirit. She said she was at peace. So you don't think…?" He looked over at where Tails was still sleeping. "I've destroyed my best friend, haven't I?"

"I'm afraid that all we can do is wait and see, but I don't hold out much hope if she said she was at peace," Merlin said.

"I…see," Sonic said sadly, looking at the ground. Merlin was the greatest living scholar on chaos power. If _he_ didn't think that Cosmo could come back, then it probably wasn't possible.

"I don't look forward to having to call Amadeus and Rosemary," Merlin said. "They're very protective. They may just lock him in his room and take away all his freedom. But it might be the best."

As they continued to talk, they didn't notice that Amy Rose had been eavesdropping on them.

"Maybe I can find out if Cosmo's coming back or not," she said to herself, leaving. She'd read tarot cards, dowsed for water, and tried some simple magic charms, but maybe the time had come for her to try something more complicated. Maybe it was time that she tried conducting a séance.

I know, this chapter is mostly a recap of the tv show. I'll try to have chapter five up by Saturday or Sunday. I also know that Cosmo didn't appear in this chapter. She'll be in the next two chapters, but then we'll probably be hearing much less from her. If you're unhappy with how depressing this story is, it'll start picking up soon, thanks to Amy, Vector, and my major fan character, who'll probably be appearing about chapter nine.

Sorry about these lines. How do I get rid of them? I've been saving in wps. Should I change that?


	5. Chapter 5: A Message From Cosmo

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Five

"A Message From Cosmo"

When Tails awakened, he saw Sonic and his uncle talking. He knew they were talking about him. He didn't want their pity. He crept away. Once out of sight, he flew back to the Blue Typhoon. His watch told him it was nearly exactly the same time that Cosmo had died. Amy claimed that the dead didn't leave completely until after three days. Tails was hoping that he might be able to speak to her. The seed didn't seem to be doing anything. Even if it was her, it occurred to Tails that she might come back as a baby, with no memory of her past life, or of him.

Tails walked along the ship, following the same path he and Cosmo had ran down when Shadows had tried to kill her. When he reached the point where Shadow had finally stopped, he turned, and walked to where Cream said Cosmo had left the Typhoon.

"Did you know what was going to happen?" Tails asked out loud. "Did you realize what it would take to stop Dark Oak?" There was no answer.

Tails walked to Cosmo's room. There was nothing there now except for her bed. Cream had already taken the plant Cosmo had kept in here.

"Maybe I should give her your seed, too," Tails said to Cosmo's bed. "She's so much better at taking care of plants than I am. I'm sure you'll grow better with her. That is, if that is you. I wish you could tell me for sure, one way or the other."

Tails sniffed the air. He had a very keen sense of smell. There was a faint odor of flowers. "I can still smell your scent in here," Tails said, sitting down on the floor. "You haven't left this room entirely yet. A tiny part of you is still here with me, at least for a little while longer."

He noticed something on her pillow. A thin green strand. He raced off, returned with a small plastic bag and a pair of tweezers. He carefully lifted the hair, and placed it in the bag. Then he searched for more. He found four in all. She left so little behind.

Tails returned to the bridge. He sat in Cosmo's seat. She tended to be restless, and was rarely in it. Tails placed the plastic bag on the instrument panel. He shut his eyes. In his mind, he could see them returning from the final battle. This time, Cosmo was with them.

"Thank you all for stopping the Metarex!" he could hear her saying. "Now I need to decide what to do with the rest of my life."

"You're coming back with us to Mobius, aren't you?" Tails asked.

"I don't want to impose on anyone," Cosmo said, looking at the floor. "I have no place to go, and no one to stay with."

"Well," Tails stammered, "if you'd l-like, you c-could st-stay with m-me!"

"Oh, Tails!" Cosmo cried. "This is so sudden! I-I'll have to think about it!"

"You can stay with me until you decide, Cosmo," Cream said. "My mom'll love to have you."

"I'll help you build a house if you decide you want your own place," Knuckles offered. Tails glared at him.

"Tails," Amy said suddenly, "what about that place not far from your house? That little beach grotto? Cosmo loves water. That would be a great place for her to live!"

"Living on the beach would be wonderful," Cosmo said, "but I don't want to take Tails' property away from him."

"Everything I have is yours, Cosmo!" Tails cried. He pressed a button on his control panel. A small compartment opened up. "I got this awhile back." He took out a small black box. He got down on one knee and opened the box. On a velvet cushion rested a gold ring with a little green emerald. "Cosmo," he stuttered, "w-would you do m-me the honor of b-b-being my br-br-bride?"

Cosmo gasped. "Oh, Tails, I…"

The fantasy ended there. Tails had no idea how Cosmo would have answered.

Tails checked his watch, then synchronized it with the Typhoon's clocks. One minute before he had pulled the trigger. He had been alone then, having asked everyone to leave him while he made the most difficult decision of his life. It was only now, when it was too late, that he had confessed his love for her.

"I'm sorry, Cosmo!" Tails wailed, shutting his eyes tight. The image of her out in space came into his mind.

"_Tails…I want you to shoot me." _

"I'm sorry!" Tails repeated. "I love you, Cosmo! I'll always love you!"

Suddenly, he felt a soft breeze the odor of flowers came to his nostrils.

"Cosmo?" Tails cried, opening his eyes. He looked around, but saw nothing. "Cosmo? Are you here? Have you--have you come to say good-bye?"

The breeze wafted gently away. Tails jumped up and ran after it.

"Cosmo!" Tails yelled. "Please don't go so fast! I can't keep up with you!"

He followed the breeze to where Cosmo left the ship. He felt it rise about his head. He spun his tails, and flew desperately after it. But it was no use. Cosmo--if that was her--was simply too fast for him. He had the feeling that even Super Sonic couldn't keep up with her now.

The air grew cold and thin. Tails realized he couldn't follow much further. "No!" he cried. "Don't leave me, Cosmo! Take me with you! I'll follow wherever you go!"

"_Go home, Tails," _came a soft whisper in his head.

"NO!" Tails cried.

"_Let me go, Tails. It's best this way. For both of us. You have so many happy years ahead of you. So many wonderful experiences to enjoy. You don't need me."_

"Yes I do!" Tails sobbed. He was freezing now. Ice was starting to form on his fur. It was getting difficult to breath.

"_Until the very last, I've been a burden to you. And now I still am! I am so sorry!"_

"P-please, Cosmo!" Tails wailed. He was too cold and stiff to move his fingers now, and his lungs cried out for air. "You've never been a b-burden to me! I love you! I love you!"

"_Find happiness elsewhere. I will see you when your time is through, and explain to you then why this has to be."_

"B-but your s-seed! If it's not y-you, th-then wh-wh-what is…?" But his tails gave out on him at this point. Tails plunged hundreds of feet. Luckily, as the ground approached, he managed to get them going just enough for him to land. Despite wanting to be with her, instinct had caused him to save himself. He collapsed on the Blue Typhoon, sobbing uncontrollably. She wasn't coming back! She wanted him to move on! Without her!

It was then that it fully hit him. It was like a heavy wall, crashing down on his brain and his heart and his stomach. He curled up into a ball. All his hopes had been for nothing. Cosmo was dead. And Tails would never forget that he had been the one that had killed her.

Tails had no idea how long he lay there wailing. At last, he sat up. The seed. If it wasn't Cosmo, then it had to be her child. Well, she was a plant. _Had_ been a plant, he corrected himself. He supposed she could have had children like a plant. But then why had there been male Seedrians? Tails shook his head. He couldn't think that way. He'd really lose it. However Cosmo had had a child, it was a part of her, and Tails would take care of it for her. But if anything happened to it…

With Cosmo gone, the Blue Typhoon seemed cold and ugly to him. He had taken it out with her onboard, and had used it since only to return to Mobius. He noticed that he didn't think of it as home anymore. His home was wherever Cosmo had just gone.

Tails locked the hangar containing the Blue Typhoon when he left. "I don't know if I'll ever come here," he said to himself. The X-Tornado had already been removed. Sonic and Knuckles wouldn't want their vehicles. If Amy or Cream or Chris did, he'd give them the key. Tails turned his back on his greatest achievement and walked away.

It was dark already. Tails started walking. Not towards the beach. He wanted to take Cosmo's baby there, and he didn't want to identify the beach with the pain he felt now. Instead, he headed for the long abandoned Knothole Village. It had been evacuated when Eggman's robots had started their rampage. Tails walked to a tree stump and pressed a hidden switch. The stump opened up. He climbed down into the hidden Knothole Tunnels. Tails had spent several years here. They'd finally moved to a new place. Knothole Village had been too depressing. Too many smashed walls and windows. Too many memories of loved ones dying. Knothole was a place for ghosts now, and that's how Tails felt. Like a shadow of his former self.

Tails realized he wanted his mother. But his parents would be horrified by the change in him. He didn't want them to see him until he was able to hold it together better. Otherwise, his dad would probably lock him in his room, and his mom would probably tell all of his friends to get lost if they came over to see him.

Tails walked about the old tunnels. So many memories. Eggman had called himself Dr. Robotnik then. It was his last name, Kintobor, spelled backwards. Eggman had been a good guy, the old king's head scientist once. But he'd discovered an ancient, possibly alien artifact, and couldn't leave it alone. It had exploded, either turning him evil, or making him crazy, depending on who you asked. It was because of the egg-like shape of the strange object that the mad man had started calling himself the Eggman.

Tails remembered the day he'd first come here with Sonic. His family was gone as far as he knew. He had an older brother, Simon, somewhere. A lazy good-for-nothing. Simon would show up once in awhile, annoy Tails' friends, eat everything in sight, then disappear for months.

Tails thought how he'd believed his parents were gone, then had learned from Sonic that they'd been captured by aliens. They'd finally been released, who knew why, but they'd hated aliens ever since. Cosmo was--had been--an alien. Would they have accepted her? How sad if the most important people in his life had been unable to get along. What would they think about their son raising an alien? Well, they'd just have to get used to it if they wanted to be in his life.

Tails went down into the lower tunnels. Not too far. Knuckles had said that there were ancient guardian robot units that still stood guard deep below. He'd fought one once, and had only beaten it by tricking the machine into falling off of Angel Island. If they were that powerful, maybe they should have gotten some. Tails could have reprogrammed them, and they might have helped in the battle against the Metarex. Then maybe…

Tails sighed. Maybes were pointless.

Tails came across his first invention, a seesaw. He sat down on one end. Of course, a seesaw was no fun at all unless you had two people. Tails had built it because the Knothole Tunnels had been so depressing.

Tails wandered on. He knew he had to keep busy. His next project would be to build a shrine or a memorial garden for Cosmo. He wanted people to know about her. Then it struck him that he didn't really know too much about her. Just what she'd said, how she'd reacted to different situations. He didn't know if her sisters had a nickname for her, or if she had a dolly before the Metarex destroyed her refugee ship, or even what her favorite food was. Cosmo had always eaten what was offered her without complaining.

Tails stepped into the room where Sonic used to practice his guitar. Tails had once had an instrument too. A tuba. One day, he'd gone looking for it, and couldn't find the thing. Had somebody thrown it out? Okay, Tails wasn't the best musician around, but he hadn't been that bad, had he?

Tails thought again about how things might have been. If only Dark Oak hadn't become such a monster. If only Cosmo's mother, Hertia, had succeeded in destroying him. It had shocked Tails when he'd realized the connection between Hertia and Dark Oak from Hertia's film. She and Dark Oak had probably been lovers, perhaps even married. That brought up the possibility that Dark Oak may have been Cosmo's father. How horrible! Tails had had trouble with his parents, but he had never doubted their love for him.

Tails wondered if Dark Oak, if he hadn't snapped, would have hated him for dating Cosmo. Would he have chased Tails down the street with a knife, yelling, "Stay away from my daughter, you furry freak!" Well, even that would have been better than he had really treated them. Cosmo had never mentioned a connection between them. Well, who could blame her? If Tails was right about this, then Cosmo was probably ashamed of her history.

"Oh, Cosmo!" Tails said out loud. "I don't care what your father was! It wouldn't have made any difference to me!" But there was no answer.

Tails saw more signs of his past. The mechanical plant Eggman had built. It might have destroyed them all, but Tails, not realizing it was a robot, had watered it. The plant had short-circuited. Since then, Eggman had made sure that his robots were water tight and rust proof. And anyone dumb enough to hit one without armor or weapons or super powers was just asking for broken fingers or toes.

Tails had long ago realized that he couldn't fight Eggman's machines the way Sonic, or even Amy or Cream did. So far as he knew, his only power was his ability to fly. Quite simply, he was the weakest of the Freedom Fighters. Even Cream could beat him up. In fact, he remembered once that Cream had challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. They had been watching Knuckles in a tournament, beating opponent after opponent. Tails had thought he'd go easy on her. Hah! Cream had nearly knocked him straight through the table! "Oh no!" she cried. "I'm sorry, Tails! Are you okay?"

"Fine," Tails had insisted. He'd then excused himself and gone to get an aspirin and a cold cloth for his forehead. He'd felt Cream's arm. It looked skinny, but it was solid muscle.

Tails tried to remember what his plans had been before Cosmo had come into his life. He had wanted to explore alien worlds, but he'd done that now. He had no interest in going into space again any time soon. He supposed he would have just kept on living the way he always had. Building inventions, and worrying about older people not taking him seriously. Tails wanted more from life than that. What, exactly, he had no idea.

He remembered again when he'd first seen her. So fragile-looking. So sad. And so quick to anger. She'd refused to tell anyone her name at first, just said she needed to see Sonic. When he'd pointed him out to her, she'd leaped from the X-Tornado, even though he was taking her to him. When Knuckles had tried to stop their flight into space by taking the Master Emerald, she and Cream had held him down while Amy hit him with her hammer. Later, Cosmo and Cream had both been sorry and embarrassed. They were a lot alike. And Cream had probably bonded with Cosmo before anyone else. Tails had been so shocked by her beauty, he'd been afraid to talk to her. Once, long ago, he'd had a crush on a girl named Fiona. She had betrayed him and laughed in his face. She'd worked for Eggman at one time. No, Tails had been afraid to get hurt again. So he'd watched as Cosmo seemed to develop something with Knuckles. He'd wanted to knock his teeth out, even though he knew Knuckles could smash him with one finger. When Cosmo had started to hang around him, he'd thought it was out of pity, or idle curiosity because he was so smart. He'd realized the truth too late for it to matter.

In another room, Tails came across an old tv set. The owner must have left it when the Knothole Tunnels were abandoned. He looked it over. It needed a few minor repairs. Nothing he couldn't fix in a day or two. Maybe he'd keep it here. Use it when he came here to think.

Tails came across an abandoned kitchen. He opened the refrigerator. Nothing inside except a can of beer. Who drank beer here? He picked it up. Warm. The power had been turned off long ago. Spoiled, no doubt. On a whim, he opened it, and took a sniff. "Ugh!" he cried. "Smells like something died in here!" He poured it down the drain. Obviously, he was not going to drown his sorrows by becoming a drunk. How could anyone handle that stuff long enough to become addicted?

Once he'd finished walking around the tunnels, Tails went back home. He was exhausted and emotionally drained. He checked on the plant. "I guess it was just too much to hope for," he said softly to it. "But whoever you are, I swear I'll take care of you every day I live."

Tails laid down on the floor of his living room. He didn't deserve a bed after what he'd done. He curled up into a ball. "Good night, Cosmo," he said. "I'm so sorry. I love you!" Once again he cried himself to sleep.

_He really loves you, little sister._

_Please, oneesama, it's best if I put him out of my mind. Best for both of us if we just forget one another._

_But can you really do that?_

_I have to! We both have to._

_Unless you…_

_But I can't! I can't, and we both know why! Oh, please, Tails! Let me go! I can't rest here if you don't!_

_Cosmo? Your friend, Amy, plans to try to contact you. Will you answer her?_

_Yes, Mother. But Amy doesn't intend to contact me for quite awhile yet. Perhaps Tails will be over me by then._

_But will you be over him, little one?_

_Don't upset your sister. This has to be her decision._

_Yes, Mother._

_And my decision is what's best for both of us. No matter how much it may hurt. Good-bye, Tails. I'm sorry too. And I will always love you. But you'll be happier without me. I know you will._

What's this? Sounds like there's more going on than we think! Next time, say good-bye to Chris. You won't be seeing him again in this story. The next chapter ends episode 78, and chapter seven concludes the first part of this story. The next part will be a lot less depressing.

Can anyone tell me how to get rid of these lines? Will I need to rerecord every chapter? I'm not very computer savvy.


	6. Chapter 6: So Long, Chris

With this chapter, we say good-bye to Chris Thorndyke, a character I never did like, who I felt was completely unnecessary. We were supposed to identify with him? He's a whiny "Why can't I fight robots and monsters? I mean, besides the fact that I have absolutely no super powers?" And he stole important scenes from the real characters. That was Amy that talked Shadow into stopping ARK, not Chris. And if they were going to set up Tails and Cosmo, then Tails should have been with her when she went to see Black Narcissus. And what was up with the heavy hitters Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy on one exploratory team, and Chris and Cosmo on the other? If they ran into trouble, were they supposed to yell for help? So good-bye, Chris. Stop chasing Sonic, and come up with a useful invention, like, say, finding a way to make Helen walk. I have no plans to use him again. If he does show up, it won't be before, oh…chapter 55.

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Six

"So Long Chris"

Early the next morning, Sonic had found Tails laying on the floor, sobbing. He'd called Tails' Uncle Merlin, who still didn't want to call in Tails' parents, but did arrange for him to see someone once a week. Tails quickly learned that the best way to get away from seeing a psychiatrist was to tell her what she wanted to hear. He seemed to be making progress, but really, he was pushing everything deep down inside. He went back to inventing, but his latest invention was a closely kept secret.

A few weeks passed. It was the day after Amy, Cream, and Cheese had come to visit him that Tails decided to finally set up a shrine for Cosmo in his spare room. He blew up every picture he had of to 8" by 10". He got frames, and set them up. He kept the room locked. If Sonic or Uncle Merlin knew what he was doing, they'd have his shrink psychoanalyzing him much more carefully. She was okay, he guessed, but she tended to talk down to him.

Among Cosmo's possessions, Tails found a sealed envelope with the words "For Tails" written on it. He opened the letter.

_My Dearest Tails,_

_If you are reading this, then I did not survive our final battle with the Metarex. I am writing this because I have had dreams that Amy says may be premonitions of the future. I dreamed last night that you were weeping over my grave, and that you somehow blamed yourself, although I know that you would never do anything to harm me._

_I should not be saying this, since, if I am dead, it will make no difference, but I felt you should know my feelings. I think I love you, Tails. Except for the Metarex, you were the first male I ever laid eyes on, and I never considered them people. Perhaps I am only being foolish, since I know a brilliant boy like you could never care for a silly, clumsy girl like me._

_But, yes, I think I love you. If we win, and I return to Mobius as I promised, I will destroy this note, and struggle to find the courage to tell you this face to face, as I should. If it is not to be, then please keep this letter as a keepsake from a girl who was never happier than that wonderful night we watched the full moon on Planet Marumorin (I had to check with Chris for the correct spelling. I was too embarrassed to ask her.) You never spoke about that night again, and I said nothing, because you said nothing. So I suppose it is too much for me to hope that you feel the same way about me that I feel about you. I guess I am like Amy in this way. We are both cursed with unrequited love._

_But if, by some miracle, you do feel the same way about me that I feel about you, then I swear that I will devote my life to making you happy the best I can, although, sadly, I have nothing to offer you except for my love. If you do feel this way, and I am gone, then please forgive me for upsetting you. Until the last, I have been a burden._

_Good luck, my dearest Tails, and good-bye._

_All my love,_

_Cosmo_

Tails had had to stop reading several times, not wanting to stain her final message to him with his tears. He hadn't said anything to her about that beautiful night on Planet Marumorin because she hadn't said anything. He'd assumed she had regretted sitting with him that night. That she'd wished he was Knuckles or something.

"Idiot!" he yelled, hitting himself upside the head. "Why didn't you tell her?! What's wrong with you?! Brilliant!? I'm the stupidest thing alive! Oh, Cosmo! I should have told you that night how I felt, instead of just grinning like an idiot. You probably thought I was imagining you were some other girl or something!"

Tails went to look at Cosmo's seed. Two little leaves had grown out of the soil in the pot. He hoped that Seedrians grew that way. It would kill him if this was just an ordinary plant. But thinking that Cosmo might have grown from a seed like that weirded him out. She really had been a plant.

Tails watered the little plant. Sonic and Amy and Cream and Uncle Merlin were all coming around constantly, checking on him. Like they thought he was going to slash his wrists or something. Didn't they understand that he couldn't kill himself? That he had to take care of Cosmo's seed?

There was a knock on the door. Tails sighed. "Excuse me," he said to the little plant. He'd reached the point that he didn't even think that speaking to it was strange.

It was Sonic. "Hey, little buddy! Come on!"

"What is it, Sonic?" Tails asked. "Has Eggman started something?"

"Nah, he's still laying low," Sonic said. He grabbed Tails' arm. "Come on!"

Despite Tails' protests, he was dragged to his back yard. "Oh no!" he cried. "Another party?!"

Amy, Cream and Cheese, Vanilla, Knuckles, Chris, they were all there. And they'd all brought food. "Sorry," he said, "but I don't do parties anymore."

"Come on, Tails!" Cream begged. "It'll be fun, and we all miss you. Please don't stop being our friend!"

"I'm sorry," Tails said. "I…"

Cream gave him a hug. "It's okay," she said softly. "Come on!"

Tails looked around again. Well, at least Rouge wasn't here. He didn't want his friends to think he'd turned against them, so he put on a fake smile. He'd been practicing smiling in the mirror, but had noticed that his smiles no longer reached his eyes.

"Tails?" Chris said nervously. "I-I'm sorry. About everything. I know I hurt you when I said…"

Tails waved his apology away. "I knew, deep down, that the seed Sonic gave me couldn't really have been Cosmo," he said. "I'm sure everyone was thinking that, Chris. You were just the only one that had the nerve to tell me." He looked Chris in the eyes. "Please don't tell me you don't believe it could be Cosmo's child, either."

"Well…Cosmo _was_ a plant," Chris said. "I guess she could have had a child by herself. That's called a 'perfect' plant."

"Yeah," Tails said. He sat down on a bench. "So, what have you been up to this past month?'

"Well," Chris said, "I've been traveling around. Carrying packages for Amy. For someone who wears the same red dress most of the time, she sure buys a lot of clothes!"

"I heard that!" Amy said, a little too sweetly. You never knew what might set her off.

"Sorry," Chris said.

"Don't worry," Chris," Cream assured him. "If Amy hits you with her hammer, I'm sure she'll help my mother and me nurse you back to health."

"Um…yeah, thanks, Cream," Chris said.

"Amy," Vanilla said, "don't scare your friends." She'd become sort of a surrogate mother for Amy, whose parents were still missing and presumed dead.

"Yes, ma'am," Amy said, smiling sweetly at Chris. "I have very good hearing," she said pleasantly as she walked away from them.

"Actually," Tails assured Chris, "Amy doesn't usually hit her friends very hard. I think she's mostly messing with you. Probably." He looked over at Amy, who was sitting on a lawn chair, eating. She waved.

"So, anyway, Chris," Tails went on, "how's the Master Emerald doing?"

"Well, right now, it's in eleven pieces," Chris said. "Knuckles promised me that it can send me home as soon as it's repaired, but he doesn't think that'll happen until some time next year."

"That's a long time from now," Tails said. "Where are you living?"

"Cream's mother has a couple of spare rooms," Chris said. "Cream has declared me an official big brother. But I hate to be imposing on them. I really should have my own place. But I wouldn't know how to begin to build my own house."

"Well, when you make up your mind, tell me," Tails offered. "I'll draw up some blueprints. Just let me know what sort of house you want."

Chris gasped. "Wow! You'd really do that for me?"

"Sure," Tails said. "Of course, my mind wanders sometimes, so I'll need some time to do it right."

"That's great, Tails! Thanks!" He held his hand out. "So we're still friends?"

"Of course," Tails said, shaking Chris' hand. "Always."

As Chris walked away at the end of the party, Tails had no idea that he wouldn't see him again.

"Mother?" Cream said as Vanilla started to pick things up after the party.

"Yes, dear?" Vanilla said.

"I'll do that," Cream offered.

"You don't want my help?" Vanilla asked.

"I want to talk to Tails alone for a minute," Cream admitted.

"Oh. I'll see you at home then, dear. Take good care of her, Cheese."

"Chao chao!"

"You don't have to stay," Tails told Cream as she started picking up paper plates. "I can handle everything."

"Please, Tails," Cream said, "you and me used to be so close. Now I only see you once in awhile."

"You're right," Tails admitted. "I'm sorry. Oh, and it's 'you and I.'"

"You and I what?" Cream asked, picking up a broken chopstick.

"Never mind," Tails said, picking up an empty cup. It smelled like…that awful can of beer he'd smelled in the Knothole Tunnels. It must have been Knuckles. He was picking up a lot of bad habits from that Rouge. Well, it was his choice. Once again, Tails' impression of Knuckles was lowered.

"Boy," Cream said, picking up two more chopsticks, "we sure made a mess in your yard, Tails! Sorry about that."

"That's okay," Tails assured her. He crawled under a bench to get a fork. "I don't mind…" He lifted his head. "Ow!"

"Are you okay?" Cream asked.

"Just feeling stupid," Tails said, rubbing back of his head.

"Here, let me see," Cream said.

"I'm fine," Tails said.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three," Tails said, trying not to roll his eyes. She meant well.

"Follow my finger with your eyes." She waved her finger from side to side, then up and down. "I think you're okay. But I'll ask my mom to be sure when you come over for supper tonight." She looked him in the eyes. "That wasn't a request, you know. If you don't show up by seven, I'm sending Amy to get you."

"Yes, Mother," Tails said.

"I don't want to be your mother," Cream said. "Or your sister either," Cream said to herself. She was starting to get feelings for Tails that she couldn't understand.

"Sorry," Tails said.

After Cream left, Tails went to his storage room. He took out a box of candles and carried them to the locked room. Inside, he set the candles around Cosmo's pictures. Then he went to make black borders for the pictures.

"If anybody finds out what I'm doing here, they're gonna throw me in a padded room," he realized. But he didn't care. Maybe someday he'd be able to put everything away. But right now, he felt like, as long as he kept her memory alive, Cosmo wasn't really gone from him.

Two days later, Sonic came to see him. He looked upset.

"What's the matter, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"You'd better sit down, Tails," Sonic said softly.

"Sonic, you're scaring me," Tails said, sitting down in a chair.

"Sorry," Sonic said, "but I wanted you sitting before I told you: I spoke to Cosmo just now."

Tails gasped. "You what?!? But why you? Why didn't she speak to _me_?"

"I-I think she was afraid that talking to you would upset you," Sonic said. "She said she didn't want to keep being a burden to you."

"She still thinks that!" Tails sobbed.

Sonic patted him on the shoulder. "She wanted me to tell everyone, but especially you, that she's all right. She's with her mother and sisters."

"That's what she wanted more than anything, " Tails said softly. "To get her family back. She did it! Good for her!"

"She said to look to the sky and the trees if you wanted to see her, because that's where she'll be," Sonic added. "And she asked me to look after you." Sonic sighed. "Tails, it-it's not nice to keep disturbing the dead."

"I know!" Tails wailed. "Don't you think I know that?! The last thing I want to do is upset her. I've hurt her too much already. But I-I just can't get over what I did, Sonic!"

Sonic didn't want to leave Tails like that, but the fox insisted he was going to be all right. "I'll see you later," Sonic promised. He'd come back in a couple of hours. Just to make sure Tails hadn't hurt himself or something. He hadn't told Tails everything. Hadn't told him that Dark Oak had also spoken to him. Had said that his descendants would one day avenge him. There was only one descendant that Sonic could think of. That little plant. If it wasn't Cosmo, could it grow up to become a Metarex? If so, then shouldn't Sonic stop it from doing so? But harming the seed would kill Tails. No, Sonic decided to wait and watch, and vowed to never tell anyone that Dark Oak had spoken to him.

The next day was uneventful. So was the next.

The day after that, Amy, Cream, and Cheese showed up with piles of food. Tails sighed, but played the gracious host. He hadn't really eaten much in the past two days, and allowed himself to pig out. It made them happy, and, he realized, making Cream and Amy happy made him happy. They were his best friends, outside of Sonic and Cosmo, and he didn't want to lose them.

Three days after that, Sonic came to Tails and said, "Tails, Chris went home today."

Tails gasped. "What?! But…Knuckles said it would be months before the Master Emerald repaired itself, and Chris couldn't go home with it broken!"

"Yeah, well, apparently Eggman found a way," Sonic said.

"Eggman?!?" Tails cried. "Eggman sent Chris home?!"

"Chris didn't say anything to me the last time I heard from him," Tails said. He felt hurt. He and Chris hadn't been close since Cosmo's death, but surely Chris should have mentioned that he was leaving.

"Eggman told him he had to leave immediately," Sonic said. "The space/time continue thingy was about to shift or something, and after that, it might be years before Chris could go home again. So Chris decided to go. I just happened to be passing by, and managed to say good-bye before he disappeared."

Tails ran his hand through his hair. "Sonic," he said softly, "with the Master Emerald still shattered, we have no way of knowing if Chris made it home. For all we know, Eggman might have just…killed him."

Sonic shuddered. "You never used to talk like that, little buddy."

"I'm sorry for being blunt," Tails said, "but I never told Cosmo how I felt about her because I was afraid to just say what I was thinking. I don't want to live like that any more."

"Are you still going to your therapy sessions?" Sonic asked. It was the very first time he'd mentioned to Tails that he was seeing a doctor.

"She says I'm making real progress," Tails said. He didn't mention that he was just telling her what she wanted to hear.

Sonic looked like he didn't believe him, but all he said was, "Well, you keep it up, and I'm sure you'll be well in no time." Neither of them believed that, of course.

"Sonic," Tails said. "I really think I should stop working with the Freedom Fighters. My mind wanders a lot now. I don't want anyone else to get killed because of me. I mean--I'll still help with blueprints and things like that, but I don't think I should be out on the field. I might freeze up at the wrong moment."

"I have to refuse to let you quit," Sonic said. "Sorry, but I need you. You've gotten me out of trouble more times than I can count. And you need to stay active in public, Tails. You're still acting like a hermit."  
"Actually," Tails admitted, "I've always hated big groups. Before Eggman, I had these cousins who would pick on me because I had two tails. I don't even know if they're still alive or not. You were the first person outside of my parents who didn't care that I was a freak."

"You're not a freak, Tails," Sonic said.

"Right," Tails said, "I'm a mystical kitsune spirit like Amy says," Tails told him. "I'm probably going to grow seven more tails, and start breathing fire." Amy had told him far more than he had wanted to know about fox legends.

"Uh…are you feeling okay, little buddy?" Sonic asked, looking at him strangely.

"Sorry," Tails said. "Just repeating what Amy reads to me out of her magic books. If you really want to worry about somebody, Sonic, maybe you should try to get Amy to stop studying the occult."

"Yeah, I'll try," Sonic said. "But you know Amy…"

"Oh yeah," Tails said, rubbing his head. "Those hammers really hurt, don't they?"

"So I'll see you tonight at Vanilla's house?" Sonic asked.

"Absolutely," Tails said, walking Sonic to his front door. "ream said she'd send Amy to get me if I don't show up. She's picking up some bad habits from Amy, I'm afraid. And here's something else to worry about: I found a cup at the party that the other day that smelled like beer. Rouge wasn't there, so it must have been Knuckles'. "

"Well, that's Knuckles' problem," Sonic said. "But I'm keeping my eye on Rouge. I don't believe she's turned honest anymore than I think Eggman's finally seen the light."

"You have to admit, he's doing a good con job this time," Tails said. "He's behaved himself longer than he ever has before."

"Yeah," Sonic said, "but now that Chris is gone, I'm expecting him to start up again at any time. I think Eggman kind of liked Chris for some reason. Maybe because they're both human or something."

"Who can say what goes through Eggman's mind?" Tails said.

At her home, Amy Rose read the cards for Tails and Cosmo again. Once again, they said that everything would be fine if they just never gave up. Amy wondered if that seed really _was_ Cosmo, but she had decided not to come back.

"I know you want to be with your family and old friends," Amy said, looking up, "but it's not very nice of you to break Tails' heart." She went to the calendar on her wall. It was the last day of May. She lifted two pages on the calendar. Then, with a red marker, she circled July 15th. The day that some said the borders between this world and the next were at their thinnest. A month and a half from now. She'd try to contact Cosmo then. Try to find out what she intended to do. If there was any chance at all that she'd return one day. If that seed was her or someone else. If Cosmo really wasn't coming back, then Amy needed to know so that she could help Tails. And the best way to replace a lost love was with a new one.

The next stage in Tails' life was about to begin. It would be difficult, the next few months, but the worst was yet to come. Tails had no idea that the coming Summer would be crazy. Or that Autumn would be far, far worse.

And, sadly, Cosmo would not be there for him. For Cosmo had her own problems. Her own worries.

And there would be no hope for either's happiness, until both were able to deal with their own doubts and insecurities. They would either find their way to peace and happiness, or lose what meant the most to them. And they both had to walk that long, difficult road alone.

The end of part one


	7. Chapter 7: The Seance

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Seven

"The Séance

July 15:

Tails was awakened by his phone ringing. "Yeah?"

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" came Amy's voice. "I expect to see you at my house at sunset! Don't be late, or smashie-smashie!"

Tails rolled his eyes. What now? Another party? Well, there was no point in trying to avoid Amy. She knew where he lived.

Tails went into his kitchen. On the way, he saw Cosmo again. She didn't appear too often, but it bothered him that she was appearing at all. He didn't dare tell Sonic or his therapist or anyone about this. He didn't want to be put away.

Tails had become very scruffy. His eyes were sunken into his head. He'd had a lot of time to think. Things had been quiet lately, except for helping Shade fight her enemies. In a way, she was like Cosmo, given in to her darker impulses. Not a pleasant thought.

That reminded him of what Sonic had found in one Metarex lair. A little suit of armor. Gleaming white. Just Cosmo's size. Tails had locked it away, horrified to think that Cosmo might one day have put it on and become Dark Oak's White Seed. He hadn't destroyed it, however. It was disgusting, but it had been meant for Cosmo. He hadn't touched anything of hers. While he'd started repairs again on the Blue Typhoon when he wasn't working on his pet project, he had kept Cosmo's room sealed shut. He didn't want to go inside and discover that he could no longer detect her scent in there.

Tails decided that if he was going over to Amy's house, he should actually brush his teeth today. He'd made four toothbrushes that played music while you brushed. One for him, one for Cream, one for Amy, and one…He looked at the green toothbrush. Unused. Perhaps never to be used.

He'd come up with the idea, because Cosmo used to hum while she brushed. "My sister, Galaxina, told me that humming when you're sad or afraid will make you feel better, and it often works," she'd said once.

Tails started brushing, then stopped. Why had he put such a depressing song on his toothbrush? He didn't need to start wallowing in sorrow again. He had to get on with his life. He made a mental note to put in something happy. Maybe an old Beatle song from Earth.

Tails went to look at Cosmo's plant. A flower bud had formed. It was the same color as the ones on Cosmo's head. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

"Good morning," he said softly. "And how are we today?" He'd taken to telling the little flower everything he had meant to tell Cosmo, but had been afraid. It helped. And, of course, talking to plants was supposed to help them grow.

Tails went to his workshop and picked up the new board he'd made for Sonic. If he and Knuckles wanted to keep up extreme sports competitions with Jet, Storm, and Wave, that was fine, but Tails was hardly an extreme athlete. Sure, he'd started taking martial arts lessons from Knuckles in hopes that he'd learn enough to be useful in fights, but he wasn't very good at it. When he'd tried to split a board, he'd nearly broken his hand.

"You didn't do it right!" Knuckles had complained.

"I really don't think this is my cup of tea," Tails said. Another expression he'd picked up from Chris' grandfather. He wondered if Chris had made it home all right. Still no sign of Eggman trying to rebuild his Eggman Empire. That wasn't like him.

Tails returned to the kitchen and opened a large bottle of soda. He couldn't get through the day with one anymore. Sure, he realized it was becoming an addiction, but at least it wasn't alcoholic. He started to get a glass, then just took a swig from the bottle. It wasn't like he was going to pass it around. The only person he'd have liked to share it with was gone, and probably couldn't drink soda anyway. Soda killed most plants. How horrible it would have been if Cosmo had come back with him, and he'd shared a soda with her, and she had keeled over. What a pointless way to die! There were no good deaths, but at least she had met her maker a hero.

"Here's to you, my flower princess," Tails said, taking another drink.

Since he had most of the day to wait before seeing Amy, Tails decided to get back to work on his pet project. It would have been so much easier if the Master Emerald had been repaired, but it was still in seven pieces. He'd asked Knuckles to give him updates. Knuckles probably knew what he was thinking, but never said anything.

"If only I had at least one working chaos emerald that wasn't a fake!" Tails muttered. Sonic had collected hundreds of fakes. Their power didn't last long, and, once drained, they became ugly and fragile. Tails could only experiment with one once before it was lost.

Bang! Another failure. Well, Chris had spent six years working on his. If only Chris were still here to help him. But that was being selfish. Chris had no more fit in on Mobius that Tails and the others had on Earth. Since most Mobians were only familiar with one human, Doctor Eggman, animals had cried or hidden or picked fights with him.

"Would that have happened to you, Cosmo?" Tails wondered out loud. "Would they have picked on you, the way the picked on Chris? The way everyone used to pick on me before I met Sonic?" Well, actually, before they'd met again. Tails had actually known Sonic years before, but had completely lost contact with him when a robot had smashed his home. Tails had been terrified. His parents had disappeared, everyone was mean to him, and his own brother, Simon, had just looked the other way when someone harassed him. The coward! Tails didn't care if he never saw him again. Sonic was far more his brother than Simon could ever hope to be.

At three in the afternoon, Tails decided to start getting ready. He showered, dried his thick fur off in a pneumatic tube he'd recently invented, then brushed his teeth again. The same music played. A song about a man whose wife had died in childbirth, singing that she'd left a part of herself with him. Why hadn't he gotten rid of it yet? It was disturbing that he'd even chosen it. As disturbing as Amy's insistence of hers playing Maxwell's Silver Hammer. He downloaded the Purple People Eater. There. Much better.

Deep down, Tails knew exactly why he'd downloaded the other song. He was identifying with the grieving father and widower in it. Well, that's what he would be, he supposed. Except that he had never been married to Cosmo, and the flower wasn't his. Tails started to break down again.

"No!" he cried, slapping himself. "Stop it! Do you want to hurt your friends? How do you think they'd feel, watching the men in white coats taking you away? Cheer up, you stupid idiot!"

He sighed. It was his own fault. He'd offered Cosmo nothing. If he'd discussed having a life, a future with her, then maybe she'd want to come back to him. But he had only admitted his feelings for her as he was about to push the button.

"I said stop it!" he scolded himself. "Think about something else!"

At last, Tails decided he'd better start over to Amy's house before she showed up on his doorstep, pico-pico in hand and an evil gleam in her eyes.

It was a very warm summer day. Birds sang. A little raccoon girl chased her brother with a garden hose. An fat, middle-aged lemur mowed his lawn. This was a beautiful day, and Tails wished he could enjoy it. But he still couldn't get past the idea that being truly happy would insult the girl he'd killed.

Splash! Not looking where he was going, Tails had walked right into the hose.

"Sorry!" the raccoon girl said, giggling.

Tails shrugged. It was warm enough to just let the sun dry him. He went on to Amy's house.

Amy was on her front porch, waiting for him. "Tails! Hi! Glad you could accept my invitation!"

Invitation? That hadn't been an invitation! It had been a threat! But Tails didn't feel like fighting.

"Come on!" Amy said, taking his arm. "Everybody's…why are you wet?"

"Girl down the street sprayed me with her hose," Tails said.

"Do you want me to clobber her?" Amy asked.

Tails rolled his eyes. "It was an accident," he said. "I'm almost dry now."

"Well, don't drip on my costume," Amy said. She was wearing a long orange dress with tassels on it. He had big gold hoop earrings on. And she was talking like Dracula. Was this a costume party? She hadn't told him to dress up. "Let me get you a towel before we start. There's still time before the planets are aligned."

Before the planets had what?!? This was getting weirder by the minute. What was Amy up to now?

"Hi, Tails!" Cream said, coming to the door. "How'd you get wet?"

"I walked into a garden hose," Tails said. "What's with Amy's costume?" Cream wasn't dressed up either.

"Oh," Cream said, "Amy didn't tell you?" She looked nervous. "Um…you should really ask her."

Okay, this was starting to get creepy.

Amy returned with a big towel. "Try not to get it all muddy," she said. "This is a nice towel!"

"Gee," Tails said, "thanks for all the sour persimmons."

Once he was reasonably dry, Tails followed Amy and Cream to Amy's living room. Vector, Espio, and Charmy were sitting around her table. Espio was shaking his head.

"I don't like this, Amy," he said. "We're meddling in things best left alone."

"What are you talking about?" Tails demanded. "What are you up to, Amy?" He looked around. There were black curtains on the windows. This wasn't a party. It was more like a wake. Was that it? Was Amy having a funeral for Cosmo? To try to give Tails closure? Then why the costume? And why were there candles on the table? And why wasn't Sonic there?

"Here, Tails," Amy said, "you sit down between me and Cream."

"That's Cream and me," Tails said automatically. "What is all this, Amy?"

"Don't you want to speak to Cosmo?" Amy asked. "Don't you want to know what she wants you to do next, Tails?"

"What?!?" Tails said. "How could…" Then it hit him. Today was the day that it was supposed to be possible for the spirits of the dead to cross over and communicate with the living. Amy was going to try to call Cosmo to talk to them!

Tails didn't know how he felt about this. Naturally, he wanted to speak to Cosmo. But Cosmo had asked him to let her go. Did he have the right to disturb her yet again? Besides, Amy didn't really know what she was doing. What if she summoned Dark Oak by mistake?

"The cards state that you and Cosmo still have a future together if you both stay strong," Amy said. "Don't you want to know if that's true?"

Tails sighed. Amy was still trying to sell that to him. Cosmo was dead. What future could they possibly have together? Reincarnation, maybe. But even if that were possible, they wouldn't remember each other. Still, it was a little comforting to think that maybe, just maybe, in their next lives, they'd live on the same street, and Tails would carry her books home from school for her.

"Why isn't Sonic here?" Tails asked.

Amy made a face. "He says he doesn't want anything to do with the occult," she told him. "Honestly, what does he think the chaos emeralds are? How does he think he super transforms?"

"Receptacles of alien radiation?" Tails suggested. "Maybe they manipulate his DNA, and…"

"Stop thinking with your head, and try thinking with your heart for a change!" Amy told him.

"Um…may I be excused, please?" Charmy asked, standing up. "I don't think I really want to meet a ghost today, so why don't I just…"

"Sit down and shut up?" Amy said, glaring at him. "Good idea, Charmy."

"Yeah," Charmy said, sitting down again. "I thought you'd like it."

"If you have any doubts, the spirits will not manifest themselves," Amy said, her accent suddenly getting thicker.

"Don't talk about Cosmo like she's some kind of spook!" Tails yelled. "She's still the same beautiful, wonderful person as ever!"

"Calm down, Tails," Amy said. "I'm sorry. I just don't like anybody doubting my powers."

"Your…powers," Tails said slowly. "I'm getting a headache. I should just go…"

"Today the portals between this world and the next are at their thinnest," Amy told him. "You may have to wait a whole year before we can try again."

Tails sighed. He was pretty sure Amy was wasting their time, but it would be wonderful to speak with Cosmo again, so he agreed.

Amy lit the candles on the table. There was one in front of each of them. Tails couldn't help but notice that the candles were black. Wasn't that an indication of black magic? When Amy finished, she got up and closed all the curtains. Despite it being a sunny summer day, the only light in the room now came from the candles. She sat back down.

"Join hands," Amy said. Tails found himself holding Amy's right hand and Cream's left.

"Spirit who has passed beyond this veil of tears, we summon thee," Amy said, blowing out one candle.

"Spirit who died before her time, we offer thee a little time more to speak with us." She instructed Tails to blow out the candle in front of him.

"We welcome thee, who have left us, and ask thee to come forth once more." Cream blew out her candle. The room was pretty dark now.

"I don't think I like this!" Charmy said. Amy gave him a glare that struck him silent.

"We call onto thee, our good friend who we miss sorely," she instructed Charmy to blow out his candle. He was more afraid of Amy than of seeing Cosmo's ghost, so he complied.

"Look into our hearts and souls, and see that our request is pure," Amy said, indicating for Espio to blow out his candle. He muttered to himself, but obeyed.

"Come, for we are eager to be in thy presence once more, our dear friend," Amy said. Vector blew out his candle.

This left only one candle, a little larger than the others, in the center of the table. It was flickering violently now.

"We beseech thee, hear our plea! Come to us, dear Cosmo! Come, we are pledged to hear thee!"

The final candle winked out, throwing the room into total darkness. Tails held his breath. Would it work? He waited nervously.

Nothing seemed to be happening. He sighed. He hadn't thought it would work, but…

"Amy?" Cream said. "I-I feel…really funny…"

"Hush, Cream," Amy said, "do not break the circle."

_Amy, what are you doing_?

"You know what we're doing, Cream," Amy said, "now stop interrupti…"

"That's not Cream's voice!" Tails cried. He started shaking. "C-Cosmo?!?"

_Why are you disturbing my rest? You shouldn't be doing this, Amy._

"Cosmo!" Tails sobbed.

_Can't you understand, Amy? Don't you know that every time I speak to Tails, it hurts him? _

"Cosmo," Amy said, "what can we do to make our burdens easier?"

_Oh, Amy! I am at peace, or at least I was. Please! I am with my family. We are happy and content. Here there is no anger. No hatred. No sorrow. Calling me to back to a life that I have had to give up forever only brings me pain. I cannot go back to being the person I once was."_

"Cosmo!" Tails moaned. "Cosmo!" His brain didn't seem to want to work. He was doing it again! Acting like a stupid idiot, muttering, when he should be telling her he loved her!

"Cosmo, are you sure?" Amy asked. "Sonic tried so hard to save you. He isn't here, but he's very, very sorry for what he did to you!"

_I don't blame Sonic. I never did. And I certainly never blamed you, Tails. You understand that it had to be done, don't you? That is was the only choice you could have made? Please don't be angry at me for forcing you into such a situation!_

"Me angry at you?!?" Tails sobbed. "I killed you! I'm sorry, Cosmo! I'm so, so sorry!"

_Don't be sad, Tails. Remember, I am always with you inside your heart._

"Then you only blame Dark Oak?" Amy asked. There was silence for a moment.

_In time, I shall even come to forgive him._

"What?!?" Tails cried. "How can you do that?!? After all he did to you!? To your family?! He took you from me!"

_Tails…I was in mourning when you first met me. I was completely driven by the need to avenge my family and friends. With Dark Oak dead, I would have fallen into a deep depression, for, as you can see, his death brought back none of his victims. Would you have devoted your life to taking care of an alien girl who never smiled? Please don't cry for me, my poor dear Tails. Even when we first laid eyes on each other, I was already dead._

"I'm sorry!" Tails sobbed. "If we hadn't gone to Earth, maybe we would have been in time to save your people! I'm so sorry, Cosmo!"

_There's no point in thinking about what might have been, Tails. I never blamed you. I forgive you completely. Now, please, you need to forgive yourself. You're a hero, Tails! You saved the entire galaxy!_

"No!" Tails sobbed. "You did! You're the hero, Cosmo!"

_Smile for me, Tails. Give me a special smile, just for me. You were always so cute when you smiled. Come on! That's my boy!_

Tails didn't bother to wonder how Cosmo could see him smile in the dark. She could, that was all that was possible. So he smiled through his tears. "Cosmo, I want you to know, that I will always love you!"

_Sigh. I have to go now, Tails._

"What?!?" Tails cried. "No! Please don't leave me again!"

_Good-bye, Charmy, Espio, Vector. Good-bye, Amy. Please tell Cream I'm sorry I couldn't have spoken with her, but I needed someone to speak through so that you and Tails would both hear me, and…well, it would have made me uncomfortable to possess a boy._

"It would have made me uncomfortable to be possessed by a girl!" Charmy said. "Or a boy, either, for that matter!"

_Good-bye, my poor, dearest Tails. One day, I will come to you, and we will have eternity together if that is still your wish. But that day is many, many years away._

"How…how do I go on…without you??" Tails sobbed.

_Live. Love. Laugh. And be happy. Good-bye._

"Wait!!" Tails cried. "Your seed! What about your seed?!?"

"Please don't shout, Tails. I've got a headache."

"CREAM?!?" everyone shouted.

"Ow! Please don't! I feel really funny!"

"I'm sorry, Tails," Amy said sadly. "She didn't want to stay."

"I've really lost her!" Tails sobbed. "She doesn't want to be with me!" There was the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. Amy turned on the lights. Tails lay on the floor, curled up in a ball, wailing like a baby.

The Chaotix left in embarrassment without a word for once.

"Please don't cry, Tails!" Cream begged, pressing her cheek against his. She had only the vaguest idea that she'd space out, and was shocked and disappointed when Amy told her what happened. She'd wanted to speak to Cosmo too.

Tails cried himself to sleep. Amy laid him on her couch, and Cream covered him with a blanket and placed a pillow under his head.

Watching Cream care for Tails, Amy thought about what Cosmo had said. She really wasn't coming back. That meant that there was a void in Tails' heart. A void that could only be filled, she was sure, by a new love. But it didn't occur to her that Cream might be interested in Tails in more than a friendly, sisterly way. Cream had never admitted to anyone her slowly growing feelings for Tails. And so, Amy made plans to look elsewhere for Tails. And by doing so, she would start something in motion that would not end well.

"If you want Tails to be happy," Amy whispered, looking up, "then I'll see what I can do. I'm sorry, Cosmo. I won't disturb you again. Good-bye, my friend.

_Are you all right, little sister?_

_No! No, I'm not!_

_Then…_

_No! Don't say it, oneesama! Please, just don't say it!_


	8. Chapter 8: Amy's Plan

Again, these characters are all owned by Sega.

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Eight

Amy's Plan

"Sonic," Amy said the next day, "I'm really worried about Tails now." They were sitting in the park, eating Uncle Chuck's patented chili dogs. At least, Sonic was. Amy was dreamily staring out into space.

"I told you not to have that séance!" Sonic said. "Tails was holding on with hope, and it's gone now."

"He would have realized sooner or later, when the plant didn't turn into Cosmo," Amy said. "How long do you think he would have kept hoping when nothing happened? When the plant dies?"

""Amy, please…"

"We have to do something to help Tails!" Amy insisted. She dripped chili on her dress, but didn't notice. Sonic decided it was probably better for him not to bring it up.

"I don't see what we can do," Sonic said. Amy had caught him in the park. He didn't feel like running off just then, and Amy looked too depressed to make a grab for him, so he felt he was reasonably safe from her hammer. "It's not like we can get him a new girlfriend."

"Why not?" Amy demanded. "Cosmo wants Tails to be happy! Don't you?"

Sonic sighed. Once Amy got an idea in her head, it was useless to try to talk her out of it. But Sonic decided to try one last time. "Amy, Tails isn't over Cosmo. It's too soon to try to set him up with another girl. Besides, you know he never told Cosmo how he felt until the very end because he's so shy. He's not going to be able to talk to another girl for months, if ever."

He was right. He was wasting his time. "He's put his whole life on hold, waiting for a miracle that just isn't going to happen. He's your best friend, Sonic, and he's hurting."

"Do _you _blame me for what happened to Cosmo?" Sonic asked.

Amy gasped. "Of course not!" she said. "And neither does Cosmo."

Sonic sighed. "Well, that's good to know," he said, "but on the other hand, it makes it kinda worse."

Amy placed her hand over Sonic's heart. "Her death hurt you too, didn't it?" she asked.

"I thought I could save her," Sonic admitted. "I really did. I mean…I always win out in the end, you know? I just knew that I'd saved her, but then I looked, and all I saw was that little seed. And…and I …people have died before helping us fight Eggman, but _I _never killed anybody. I was always proud of that fact. But Dark Oak wasn't like anybody I ever faced before. How did he get so much stronger than the other Metarex?"

"It doesn't matter now," Amy said. "And we're talking about Tails here. I know this girl. She's really nice, and really lonely…"  
"Amy," Sonic said, "you're not going to set Tails up with a girl with glasses and braces and freckles or something, are you?"

"Of course not!" Amy said. "Don't be silly. No, this girl is tall and gawky. She's Tails' age, but almost as tall as you. She's really cute, though."

Sonic sighed again. Amy was going to do this, no matter what he said. "Look, Amy," he said, trying one last time. "It's summer now. Why don't we just go to the beach?"

Amy squealed, and dribbled more chili on her dress. "Oh, Sonic!" she cried, throwing her arm around him. Now Sonic had spilled chili on himself. "Are you inviting me to the beach?"

"What? No!" Sonic sputtered. "I meant we could take Tails, and Cream and Cheese, and maybe Knuckles would come along, and…"

"What good is for Tails to go to the beach by himself?" Amy demanded.

"Huh?" Sonic said. "I said he'd be with Cream and Cheese, and Knuckles, and maybe Julie-Su, and…"

"A girl!" Amy yelled, dribbling chili on her shoes now. "Tails needs a girl to really enjoy a day at the beach!" She shut her eyes and sighed. "I remember going to the beach, seeing happy young couples together, and feeling so sad because there was no one there for me!"

"Um…well," Sonic said, getting up, "I'll…see you later, Amy!"

"Oh no you don't!" she yelled. She dropped her half-eaten chili dog and pounced on Sonic. He moved so fast, he dodged her and caught and ate her chili dog in one swift movement.

"Thanks for the snack, Amy!" Sonic said as he took off.

"Sonic!" Amy yelled. "You get back here right this minute! Hey! You ate my chili dog, you hog! You lousy…MY DRESS! MY BEAUTIFUL DRESS!!!" Then Sonic was too far away to hear anymore.

"Now I gotta go warn Tails what she's planning," Sonic said to himself. "Why, Cosmo? You should have let me die instead. No. No, then Amy and my parents would be suffering. If only we'd had more power! If only Shadow had been with me when I fought Dark Oak in Mobius' atmosphere way back in the beginning! Between the two of us, we'd've gotten him! Cosmo would still have been orphaned, but at least when she landed, Tails would have been able to tell he we got those devils and avenged her family. I'm sorry, Cosmo! I promised you everything would work out! Nothing would have made me happier than to have been able to bring you and Tails back together." But if Cosmo heard him, she gave no sign.

Tails sighed as he looked at Cosmo's pictures. Here she was with Amy and Cream, having a pillow fight. And here she was sitting on a giant mushroom, playing what kind of looked like a harmonica. She looked so much like a flower fairy. Well, in stories, the guy that falls in love with a fairy always loses her when she returns to her family, doesn't he? He didn't deserve her. Was that why he'd lost her?

Tails looked at the prayers he'd written out and placed on the walls. Most were Christian. The rest were Jewish or Buddhist. Except for one that Cosmo had written out. He kept that one framed. He couldn't read it, not without his translator on the Blue Typhoon. It was in Seedrian. She'd recited it for her family. Tails had come across her, sitting cross-legged, with her eyes shut, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she had muttered in the musical language.

It occurred to Tails that Seedrian was lost now, except on his computer. But the computer couldn't tell him all of the proper pronunciation. It certainly couldn't explain slang. He would teach Cosmo's child as much as he could, so that the language wouldn't completely die out, but he knew he would never be one tenth as good at it as Cosmo would have. She had had a gift for languages. Hadn't her Mobian been flawless? Well, of course, there were colloquialisms that she hadn't understood. Things he didn't even have to think about would confuse her. But her diction was nearly perfect. Tails spoke the few Seedrian words he knew like…like the noises that had come out of his old tuba before it had disappeared.

Tails wondered if the child--a girl, he thought, for some reason--would love to sing. Like Cosmo had. He remembered when Vector had started a karaoke party. Sonic and Cream had done fine. Amy probably would have too if she hadn't insisted on singing so loud. Charmy had been pretty good too. But Cosmo had been the best. She had sang like an angel. Angel. Yeah, he guessed she was one now.

Tails had done…well, he hadn't too bad. Especially the one time Amy had talked the two of them into singing together. They had both been so embarrassed! Oh, why hadn't he told her then?

Tails forced himself not to get morbid. He remembered how badly Knuckles and Espio had been. But Vector had been even worse. Then, somehow, Eggman had broken in, and insisted on singing a number. Or, rather, murdering a number. Eggman had been the absolute worst! Knuckles and Vector had finally picked him up and tossed him out. That was probably the last time that Tails had really laughed.

As Tails turned to leave Cosmo's shrine, he saw, on the shelf, the little glass flower he'd polished for Cosmo the day of that party. If only he could go back to that day. Well, if his pet project worked…

"I'm sorry, Cosmo," he whispered. "You suffered so much. You should have gotten your storybook happy ending. The brave heroes save the day, and take the beautiful princess back for the big celebration, and everyone lives happily ever after! What did I do to make the sad ending happen? Where did I go wrong?" He left the room quickly. Being in the room had been helping him, but, suddenly, being there had become unbearable. He locked the door behind him.

Tails went to the fridge and got himself another soda. What was this, the second today? Didn't matter.

There was a knock on the door. Who was bothering him now?

It was Sonic. If it wasn't Cream and Amy, it was Sonic. At least Uncle Merlin and Rotor had realized that Tails needed space.

"Hey, Tails! How's it going?"

"What is it, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"You're never happy to see me anymore," Sonic said. "You _do_ resent me for what happened back in February, don't you?"

"I'm sorry," Tails said. "It just seems like, every time I start to think clearly, I get interrupted. Please, come on in. I was just…taking a break before I went back to work."

Sonic came in, but didn't sit down. Despite what Tails had told him, he no longer felt welcome in Tails' house. Would the wound in the Unbreakable Bond ever heal?

"Can I get you something?" Tails asked. "A soda maybe? Or…I think I have some chili, no hot dogs, though." He started to go into his kitchen.

"No, that's okay, Tails," Sonic said. "I just came to give you a head's up. Amy is going to try to set you up on a blind date."

"What?!?" Tails yelled. "Tell her she's out of her mind!"

"I know," Sonic said, "I tried to talk her out of it, but…well, you know Amy!"

"Yeah, I know her all right," Tails said. "No wonder you won't go out with her! She's nuts!"

"I'm sorry," Sonic said. "But Amy's just trying to help. She worries about you, buddy. We all do."

"I don't want another girl friend," Tails insisted. "I fell in love twice. The first was a mistake. The second was forever. It doesn't matter than she's gone. I'm not going to fall in love again!"

"Just try not to hurt her friend's feelings," Sonic said. "Tell her you're spoken for, don't tell her to go jump in the lake."

"I'm not completely insensitive now, Sonic!" Tails said. "Give me a little credit." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. I get like this sometimes. She'll probably get the Chaotix to help her."

"Well, they did sort of set you two up…" Sonic started to say. Tails put his hand up.

"I was in love with Cosmo long before that, Sonic," he insisted. "Heck, I think I knew from the moment I found her when she crash landed on Mobius that I wanted to know her better. She was beautiful, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," Sonic said. "I'm sorry, little buddy. I really thought you two were gonna make it."

Tails shook his head. "Even if she _could_ come back, she doesn't want to. She told me yesterday. I should have listened to my brain instead of my heart. What was I thinking, letting Amy disturb her like that?"

"I'm sorry about that, too," Sonic said. "I begged Amy not to do that."

"No, it was my fault," Tails said, finishing his soda. "I knew better. I should have told Amy to forget it. Excuse me." He went into the kitchen and dropped the bottle in the recycling bin next to his trash can. "You sure I can't get you something?" Tails said. "I don't have much in here, but I don't have much of an appetite either, so…"

"Whatever you have the most of," Sonic said.

"Maybe what Amy did was for the best," Tails said, opening a can of chili. "I was just so sure that Cosmo was coming back. I-I didn't realize I was disturbing her! That's the last thing I want to do, cause her more pain! I would never have wanted to make her choose between me and her family. It's just…she doesn't want to be with me! I thought…" He suddenly hit himself in the head. "Idiot! I offered her nothing! When Amy and Cream both offered to let her stay with them, after the Metarex were defeated, I should I said she could stay with me! I gave her no reason to _want_ to be with me! She was afraid that I just found her annoying! She didn't know how I felt until the very end! Until you were already in the wave motion gun!"

"The what?" Sonic asked.

"The Sonic Driver," Tails explained, "or Sonic Power Cannon, as Amy kept calling it."

"Oh," Sonic said. "Well, um…you can't keep blaming yourself about that, Tails. You're just a kid. Of course you wouldn't know how to talk to a girl. I should have taught you some of my moves."

"Don't try to make me feel better!" Tails yelled. "I'm a no-good, stupid, worthless…"

"No, you're not," Sonic said, putting his hands on Tails' shoulders. "It's hard talking to classy girls. You're afraid they've heard it all before, and they can do better."

"Cosmo _could_ do better?" Tails said. "A lot better than me!"

"Stop putting yourself down," Sonic said. "You're the bravest guy I know. Sure, it's easy to throw yourself into danger if you have super speed and other powers. Do you think I'd be fighting Eggman if I couldn't outrun bullets? If the chaos emeralds hadn't super transformed me, do you think I'd've even tried fighting Dark Oak?"

"Of course you would have," Tails said. "You're the hero. I'm the bungling sidekick."

"Tails…"

"I know what you're trying to do, Sonic," Tails said, finally putting the chili on to boil. "But I don't want to be comforted. I don't ever want to forget my shortcomings. I want to remember what I've done, and why I need to improve myself." He sighed. "I've gone over that last day again and again, and I still can't come up with another way to stop Dark Oak. But I will."

"Maybe there wasn't another way," Sonic said softly. "She said it was her destiny to stop the Metarex. Maybe…your destiny was to help her want to fulfill her destiny."

"No!" Tails cried. "I will never accept that!" He sobbed. "I can't. How could it have been my destiny to kill the girl I love? There had to have been something else I could have done. Or that someone, somewhere, could have done. The galaxy couldn't have come to an end if a sad little girl had decided that she didn't want to die."

"Tails, what possible good can it do now to try to figure out another way? I still can't change the past."

"I need to know that Cosmo's death wasn't mandatory. I know…if I--if I find another way now, I'll never forgive myself for not finding it then. But I can't believe that Cosmo _had _to die, or else everyone would have. That would mean that what Cosmo wanted in life--her hopes, her dreams00never mattered, because she was already doomed from birth. No one deserves to be born to die!"

Sonic realized Tails wasn't really talking to him. He was thinking out loud. It had never occurred to Sonic before, but Tails was right. No one should be born just to be killed. He supposed he had tried to convince himself that Cosmo was meant to die so that he wouldn't feel guilty about killing her. Tails was suffering the worst, but it was getting to Sonic, too. He'd hoped so much that he had saved her. It could so easily have been Tails. Or Cream. Or Amy. How could Sonic have explained Cream's death to her mother, who had trusted him with her only child's safety? How could he have dealt with losing Tails, his best friend? And Amy? He just didn't love her the way she loved him, but he knew that, if she wasn't chasing him anymore, he'd really miss her.

"Tails," Sonic said, "if you still want out of the Freedom Fighters, I won't stand in your way. I don't want anything to happen to you too."

"No," Tails said, "you were right. I need to get out more. Quitting the only thing that brings me outdoors won't help me. And you may be the hero, Sonic, but you need help now and then. Remember how you told Amy to stay away for her own good, then she ended up helping save your life? Even Cream has saved the day more than once. I know better than anyone how she felt when she destroyed Emerl, but she was incredible in that battle, wasn't she? And Big. He's not very bright, but he's helped us when Knuckles was off sulking."

"Don't forget yourself," Sonic said. "You've been the hero too. You're not just my sidekick anymore, little buddy. You're my partner now. More important, you're my best friend. My brother." Sonic blushed. "Wow," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "that sure sounded sappy, didn't it?"

"I never really thought of myself as a real Freedom Fighter," Tails said, stirring the chili. It was nearly ready. "No one ever seemed to take me seriously. Now, I don't want approval or praise anymore. I'm fighting to make it possible for the next generation to not have to fight. So that no one else will have to suffer the way we did while we were just kids. Kids fighting a grown-up's war. That's not right, Sonic. Kids shouldn't know about war and suffering and death. The way poor Cosmo did. I'm fighting so that Cosmo's child will never go through what she did. I know I can't bring the child's mother back, but maybe I can make the poor little thing safe and secure. After all I've been through, I can never go back to being an ordinary kid again. But I can at least try to spare the children still unborn with such horrors." He turned off his stove, then opened his refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. Sonic followed him silently as Tails crossed the living room and went out into his workshop. The flower pot sat in the window. The little plant seemed larger than it had been the last time Sonic had seen it.

Tails watered the little plant carefully. "I'm never sure if I'm giving this little one too much water, or not enough," he said. "I added some soil from the Green Planet, you know. How sad that Cosmo only ever saw her own home world once, and was too depressed to pay much attention. But then, it was dead then. And there wasn't anyone for her to go and see. How sad. An entire species, lost forever, because of one madman and his followers." He looked over at Sonic. "I don't want this to ever happen again, Sonic!"

"Neither do I," Sonic said. "I'm sorry I disappointed you, Tails. I'll try my best to do better."

"Me too," Tails said. "Now, thank you for your warning about Amy, but…I'd like to be alone for awhile, okay, Sonic? Please, go back, eat your chili. I'll join you when I can. I--I don't want you to see me cry again."

Sonic went back and waited for Tails. When he returned, his eyes were red. Sonic bit his lip. Setting Tails up with a blind date wasn't going to help him. Sonic was beginning to wonder if anything ever could. They talked about other things for awhile. The weather. Tails' latest projects. He noticed Tails wouldn't talk about something he was working on. He hoped that wasn't a bad sign.

When Sonic left about an hour later, Tails went back to Cosmo's shrine. "Sorry," he said softly. "I'm back, honey!" He buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Cosmo! I miss you so much! How can I go on without you?" But there was no reply. Sadly, Cosmo was no longer right beside him.

_Mother…should we tell Cosmo how her boy is suffering?_

_No, my darling, she chose to no longer watch over him. She must choose to change her own mind._

_But what will Cosmo choose? Will it be the right choice?_

_That must be her decision. Answer her questions, but give her no unrequested advice._

_But Mother, we both know that she is unhappy here!_

_Do not interfere, Galaxina! She must work out her own problems._

"_But will she? In time?"_

"_Trust her. Believe in your little sister. And perhaps she will at last come to believe in herself again._

Next time, meet the most annoying fan character you've ever seen. And, just what is this girl that Amy's setting Tails up with?


	9. Chapter 9: Enter the Magician

This chapter is mostly Cream and Cheese, Amy, my fan characters, and a little bit of Tails at the end.

AFTER THE METAREX

Chapter Nine

"Enter the Magician"

Early the next morning, Cream and Cheese went for a walk. It was warm and sunny, and Cream was planning to play in the park for awhile before she went to see Amy. She knew that they were going to the beach in a couple of days, but had no idea that Amy was planning to set Tails up with a girl. If she had, she might have suggested herself.

Tails was so sad. It made her heart hurt to see him. She wanted to comfort him. Lately, she'd thought about him more and more. Her feelings were changing for him. She was starting to think of him, not just as a friend, but as a boy. As someone that she'd actually like to go out on a date with. Of course, she only knew from listening to Amy what dating was like. And Amy's stories about her and Sonic rarely resembled what was really happening.

Did boyfriends and girlfriends go to scary movies and yell at the scary parts? She remembered once watching about fifteen minutes of a movie at Chris' house. It had seemed boring, just people talking. Then a woman went to bed, but heard somebody outside her door. When a hatchet came crashing through the door, and the woman started screaming, Cream had ran and hid under her bed until the movie was over. Chris was a nice guy, but his taste in movies and comic books and video games had been weird. So much violence and blowing up stuff. Why in the world would Cream want to play that she was a car thief?!?

Cream was surprised that there was no one else in the park. "Wow," she told Cheese, "we must be the only ones not on vacation."

"Yeah," Cheese said. Lately, Cheese had been learning to talk. He couldn't say much, and never spoke to anyone but Cream.

Cream came to the swing set. It seemed lonely, even creepy, to watch four empty swings sway gently in the wind. If she hadn't had Cheese with her, she probably would have left. But running from swings was silly.

"I guess we have the whole park to ourselves," she said. She looked from swing to swing. Which one should she use? She shrugged. There was no line. She decided to swing on one for awhile, then gradually go down the line. That way, none of the swings would feel left out.

She started swinging on the first swing. Then she swung higher. Then higher!

"Cream!" Cheese cried. "Chao chao!"

"I'm not going to tip over the swing set," Cream said.

"Chao chao!"

"No, I'm not going to go flying off the swing either."

"Chao chao!"

"No, I'm not going to swing so high that I go over the bar. You worry too much, Cheese."

The trip into space had changed Cream. Especially the death of Cosmo Cream had always believed that if you did your very best, and never ever gave up, that everything would work out. But they had done all of that. They all did their best. They never gave up. And what had happened? Cosmo had died. And if Cosmo could die, then anyone could. Cream had never before really thought that she could get killed when Eggman grabbed her. She had always been sure that Sonic and Amy and Tails and Knuckles would save her. But they had all done everything they could, and death had still taken one of her close friends from her.

She didn't really remember her father. Only a crash as the wall of her house caved in. As a male rabbit threw himself in front of her and yelled, "Vanilla! Get the baby out of here! I'll try to hold it off! Go on! I'll catch up to you!" Her mother had ran, sobbing. Hearing her mother crying had terrified Cream. Then she'd heard a crash and a scream.

Three years now, and he never had caught up to them. And now, she realized, he probably never would.

Was that why her mother spent so much time talking to Vector? Had she given up on Daddy too? Would she _marry_ Vector one day? Stepfathers were always mean in stories, and Vector _had_ kidnapped her and Cheese and Cosmo that one time.

"I've always been so clueless," Cream said, more to herself than to Cheese. "I'd play while everybody else worked. I knew bad things happened to good people. Look at Emerl." She looked up. "Oh, Emerl, I'm so sorry! You were like my baby brother, and look what I did to you!" She stopped swinging. The way she felt right now, she might actually fall off of the swing.

"Get a grip on yourself!" she said. "You're the happy one! You're the one that keeps everybody else's spirits up. Tails says you make him feel better when he talks to you. You have to be strong for him!"

Cream wanted to grow up, but not too much. Being grown up meant worrying. Look at Tails. Losing Cosmo had made him grow up. He never played any more. Cream had been excited every time she had made him smile. Maybe he was just laughing at her, but at least he was feeling a little better.

Cream moved to the next swing. If only she could have talked to Cosmo. She would have loved to have heard from her again. It was weird, thinking that Cosmo had been inside of her, seeing with her eyes, and talking with her mouth. Creepy, but she was glad that she could do something for her. How often did anyone ever get the chance to actually do something for someone who was dead?

"I'm happy I could help you, Cosmo," Cream said, looking to the sky. "If I can ever do anything else for you, please tell me." But there was no reply.

"You want Tails to be happy," she went on. "How can I make him happy? Surprises are always good. How can I surprise Tails?"

Cream had no way to know it, but the answer to her question was already in the park, heading her way. Unfortunately, she hadn't thought that there are good surprises, and bad surprises. And this was, quite simply, both at the same time.

Not far away, in a little tea shop, Amy Rose worked on her own surprise for Tails, not thinking that Sonic would have already have told her.

"So," Amy was saying, "Tails is a really great guy. He's very smart. He's loyal. Trust me, you can't go wrong with a boy who opens the door for you, and really wants to hear about your feelings."

"He sounds great," the girl she was speaking to said. "But why is a great guy like that available?" The other girl looked something like a cat, but also somewhat…well, like Eggman, almost. She had pink hair like Amy. There was a lavender triangle on her forehead, similar to the orange hair on Cream's head. She wore a long-sleeved red and white striped shirt and pink pants. Her shoes like Amy's but without heels. She was tall enough already.

Amy sighed. "His…girlfriend…passed away a few months ago," Amy said sadly. She took a sip of her chamomile tea. "It was very sad."

"How awful!" the girl cried. "Was it…Eggman?" The three other people inside of the tea shop all jumped when she said that name. Eggman pretty much had all of Mobius traumatized, and he hadn't been heard from since they'd returned from space. Since it was difficult to believe that Eggman had really reformed, it was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. But Eggman wasn't Amy's concern today.

"No," Amy said at last. "She was killed in space. We--Sonic, and Knuckles, and Tails and me--were fighting these horrible alien cyborgs and their robot army. She…she was caught in the line of fire." Amy had sworn never to tell anyone that Tails and Sonic had killed Cosmo. True, Eggman knew, and would probably start spreading it around any time now, but no one would ever find out from Amy.

The girl choked on her tea. Amy patted her on the back. "You okay?" she asked.

"I think *koff* so!" the girl said. When she was able to breath again, she said, "That's so sad! She didn't suffer, did she?"

"I…I think she died instantly," Amy said. She rubbed at her eyes. She realized that she hadn't gotten over Cosmo's death either. Cosmo had been the only person that Amy had really opened up to besides Cream. She had invited her into Team Jubilation (or, as she sometimes called it when she was being immodest, Team Rose,) an exclusive group that until Cosmo came around had included only herself and Cream. At parties, they included Big, because he was nice and needed encouragement to feel that he wasn't just a big, dumb frog chaser, but Cosmo had completed their group.

"What was she like?" the girl asked.

Amy fiddled through her purse. Finally, she found a wallet with pictures in it. She showed the girl Cosmo's picture. "She was scatterbrained," Amy said, "and silly, and sweet and so sad. Her family had already been killed by the aliens when we met her. She was always talking about how much she missed them. But she's back with them again, and they'll never be separated again, so…so I guess that's good, huh?" She rubbed at her eyes again.

"Here," the girl said, handing Amy some napkins.

"Thanks," Amy said. "I thought I'd gotten over her death. The last thing she would have wanted would be for her friends to feel sad because of her. That's the sort of person she was."

"She's--I'm sorry--she _was_ beautiful," the other girl said. "Amy, there's no way that I can compete with a girl like this! You--you know about…" she lowered her voice, "…about my…disfigurements."

"So you don't have any body hair," Amy said, "that's nothing to be ashamed of. Neither did my friends Chris or Helen or Francis or Danny."

"Weren't they human?" the girl asked. "Humans aren't supposed to be hairy."

"Except for Eggman," Amy said. "Did you see him on the beach last year? Eech!"

"Amy," the girl said, "Tails isn't over Cosmo, is he?"

"I'm sure the two of you will hit it off great," Amy assured her. "Tails won't mind the way you look." She turned to his picture. "You see? He has two tails. He knows about mutations. And Cosmo…well, she _was_ beautiful, but she didn't have a nose, and she had flowers growing where her ears should have been."

The other girl sighed. "That's great that Tails isn't prejudiced, but that's not what I asked. He's still in mourning, isn't he? You're hoping I can get him out of it. But I'm not pretty enough, or clever enough, to do that. Besides, I'd feel like I was trying to take advantage of his pain."

"Come on, Debbie," Amy said, finishing her tea. "You're lonely. He's lonely. And Cosmo would want him to find love again. She was so worried that he'd be depressed if something happened to her."

Debbie rubbed the side of her head. "Amy," she said softly, "If they'd broken up, it would be different. But a dead girlfriend is perfect. I can't compete with an angel. A saint looking down on him from Heaven. Wondering why he wasn't being true to her memory. I don't want him to feel like he's cheating on her!" She finished her tea, then stood up. "I'm sorry, Amy, but I just wouldn't feel right about this. What if I end up hurting him. I don't want to make him cry!"

"You're such a nice person," Amy said, patting her arm. They returned their tea cups. Outside, Amy said, "Listen. Sonic and I are going to the beach the day after tomorrow, with Tails and a couple of our friends. Just come with us. I'll just say that I brought a friend along. You don't have to hang out with Tails if you don't want to. But he's so kawaii that I bet you will!"

Debbie sighed again. "I'm going to regret this, I know I am."

"You won't," Amy assured her as they walked down the street. "Trust me."

"If Tails figures out what we're doing, I'm going to tell him it was your idea," Debbie warned.

"Then it's settled!" Amy said, once again hearing only what she wanted to hear. "I'll pick you up the day after tomorrow, at seven a.m. Don't oversleep. Wear a swimsuit. Bye-bye!"

Debbie moaned as she watched Amy walk happily away. "I'll bet the sky in her world is bright pink," she said. She put her head down and started home. "Too bad mine's slate grey."

*Warning! The most annoying fan character in the world has just entered the building!*

Tails looked up from the third swing to see a tall, skinny fox. He was orange-red in color. He was dressed like a magician, complete with top hat, tails, and spats on his shoes. He wore a carnation on his coat. He was pushing a large red trunk with what looked like a small rickshaw. Cream knew that she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but he was about the strangest stranger she'd ever met, and she was very curious. Besides, she was a whole lot tougher than she looked, and could always fly away.

"I don't think you'll have much of an audience today, Mister," she said, standing up and bowing. "I'm Cream, by the way, and this is my chao friend, Cheese."

"Chao chao!" Cheese said.

"Hey, glad to meet ya," the fox said. He looked around. "Yeah, this place is pretty dead. Well, glad to meetcha, kid." He took off his top hat and bowed. "Sanguine the Sensational, at your service." He produced a flower seemingly out of thin air and handed it to her.

"Wow!" Cream said, taking the flower. It was plastic, but still a good trick. "Thanks, Mister!"

"Don't mention it," the magician said. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know a fox with two tails, would you? I've been trying to find him, but he must have moved. I haven't been around these parts for awhile."

"Tails is a fox with two tails," Cream said. "Maybe you're looking for him?"

"Where does he live?" the magician asked. "I really need to see him again."

"Chao chao!" Cheese said.

"No, I'm not going to be rude to him!" Cream whispered. "He's a friend of Tails'. That makes him our friend too."

"I haven't seen a chao since I was about your age," the magician said, as Cream led him to Tails' house.

"You had a chao friend?" Cream asked. "Where is he now?"

"Haven't the slightest idea," the magician said. "One day, this robot came crashing through the neighborhood. Crazy balding guy with a ridiculously huge mustache sitting on top working the controls, going 'Ho ho ho!' like some demented Santa Claus."

"Doctor Eggman!" Cream recognized. "So he squished your house too?" She sighed. "My daddy told my mommy to take me and run three years ago. He said he'd catch up to us. But he never did." She looked the magician in the eyes. "Do you…do you think I should stop waiting for him? To catch up to us?"

"Did they ever find his…body?" the magician asked. "Because if they didn't, then there's still hope."

"Then I won't give up on him!" Cream said, rubbing at the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

The magician reached into a pocket. He started to pull out a long string of handkerchiefs, each a different color. He seemed to realize that making a joke about a little girl's probably dead father would be in bad taste, and instead pulled out a plain white handkerchief from another pocket.

"Thank you, Mister," Cream said, dabbing at her eyes. Then she blew her nose. "HOONNKK!" She offered it back to him.

"Uh…keep it," the magician said, looking grossed-out. "I hope your dad comes home some day, kid."

"Thank you," Cream said. "I was very lonely for a long time. But then, one day, I met Cheese. Being around a chao makes you happy." Her face fell again. "Well…most people. It-it doesn't seem to be helping Tails any."

The magician stopped. "He's depressed? Why? Did something happen to his family?"

"No," Cream said. "His uncle's in town, watching out for him. And so is Sonic. You know Sonic the Hedgehog, don't you?"

"We've met," the magician said, making a face. "So…something happened to a friend of his? Eggman did something to somebody? Rosie?"

"Rosie?" Cream said. She thought about that name for a few seconds. "People used to call Amy Rosie the Rascal. Is that who you mean?"

"Sure," the magician said, "she still chasing Sonic?"

"Yeah, but he's still running away," Cream said.

"Guess he's cleverer than I gave him credit for!" the magician said.

"What do you mean?" Cream demanded. "Are you insulting Amy?"

"Rosie's a nice girl," the magician said, "but she's hard to get along with sometimes." He reached into another pocket of his coat and pulled out a bag of popcorn. He offered it to her. "Want some?"

"Do you have cotton candy?" Cream asked, taking a handfull.

"Sorry," the magician said, proceeding to stuff himself. "Fresh out." With his mouthfull, he added, "I used to carry snow cones around, but those really make a mess if you don't eat 'em fast!" He tried to laugh, and got choked. Cream hit him on the back so hard, she knocked him flat on his face.

"Oops! Sorry, Mister! Are you okay?"

"What are you, a midget wrestler or something?" the magician asked. He started picking up the popcorn from the grass. "Five second rule!"

"Eww!" Cream said, watching him eat the spilled popcorn.

"So what happened to Tails' friend if it wasn't Egghead?" the magician asked when they started walking again.

"Well, you see," Cream said, "Tails had a girlfriend, but…" She stopped. She had promised not to tell anyone how Cosmo had died. "She was killed fighting these alien robots and their masters." She looked up at the magician. "If you're Tails' friend, then please, try to make him feel better. He doesn't eat or sleep right, and he cries all the time, and he yells at his friends, and grabs his head, and says he doesn't know what he's doing anymore. I-I'm afraid he might--might want to--to go be with her!"

"It's okay," the magician said. "I'm here for him now. Don't cry, kiddo. I'll take good care of Miles."

When they reached Tails' house, the magician said, "Not much to look at, is it?"

Cream knocked on Tails' front door. "Tails? Tails, it's Cream!" She turned to the magician. "Sometimes he locks himself in and won't come out no matter how long you knock or how loud you yell. It really worries me." She knocked again, harder. The door trembled.

"Uh…you might want to be careful there," the magician said, no doubt remembering how she'd knocked him down a few minutes earlier.

"Tails might be talking to Cosmo's plant," Cream said. "If he is, he doesn't notice anything."

"Cosmo?" the magician said. "Plant?"

"It's a long sad story," Cream said. "Have you ever seen Crying Out Love in the Center of the Earth? It's also called Socrates In Love, whoever Socrates was. Oh, that's right. You wouldn't have seen any Earth shows unless you'd been on Earth."

"I was there for awhile," the magician said. He had produced a comb and mirror from yet another pocket, and was combing his hair. He smiled, showing sparkling white teeth.

"Oh?" Cream said. "So was Tails. Why didn't you look him up then?"

"I decided to keep a low profile," the magician explained. "I mostly read up on Earth magic and stuff, and kicked back the rest of the time."

"Oh," Cream said. She knocked yet again. "Yoo hoo! Tails! It's Cream and Cheese! And we've brought a friend!"

The door finally opened. Tails looked like he hadn't been sleeping again. "Cream?" he said. "What is it? Did you want something?"

Then he noticed the other fox. "Uhh…"

The magician threw his arms around Tails. "Baby brother!" he cried. "I've missed you so much!"

"Simon?!?" Tails cried.

"Please," the magician said, tipping his top hat. "I am Sanguine the Sensational, at your service!" He pushed past Tails into his house. "Nice place you've got here, Miles!"

"You have a brother?" Cream asked Tails. "I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, well, sometimes I wonder about that myself," Tails said. "Hey! Out of my fridge!"

"Selfish!" the magician said, pouting.

"What are you doing here?" Tails demanded.

"What am I doing here?" Sanguine repeated, looking very hurt. "Why, baby brother, I've come to live off of--I mean, live with you." He started going through Tails' pantry. "And it's a good thing I have. You're not buying any where near enough food for a growing boy like yourself--or me!"

"I'll bring a lot of food over later," Cream promised. "And you'd better eat it, Tails!"

"I'll be glad to help him," the magician said, tipping his hat again. "Thank you kindly, little lady."

Cream bowed. "A pleasure, good sir."

"I'm getting a headache!" Tails moaned. His life would never be the same.


	10. Chapter 10: Sonic vs Sanguine I

Last chapter, the story moved off of Tails for awhile unto Sonic, Amy, and Cream. This chapter opens with Knuckles and Rouge, and we'll be seeing a lot of Amy, Cream, and the Chaotix later, as well as a short (5-7 chapter) After the Metarex: Sonic's Story, probably running concurrently with chapters fifteen to twenty or so. But ultimately, everything leads back to Tails. We'll be hearing less from Cosmo for most of the rest of this story. She has her own problems to deal with, as can be seen in After the Metarex: Cosmo's Story.

Again, these characters (except possibly Sanguine and Debbie, and if either of them ever turn up in a video game, you won't hear me complaining,) are all owned by Sega.

AFTER THE METAREX

Chapter Ten

"Sonic vs. Sanguine I"

"Hey, Knuckie," Rouge said as she climbed in the echidna's window. She had a vest on over a bathing suit, flip-flops, and sunglasses.

"Can't you use the door like normal people?" Knuckles demanded. "And stop calling me 'Knuckie!'"

"Wouldn't it be boring if I was just like everybody else? Rouge asked. "Knuckie?" She ignored his indignant grumbling as she strolled across his room to the couch. It was a dark tan in color, and had patches that didn't match. She sat down and made a face. "This couch is awful! Have you ever considered buying some new furniture?"

"The couch is fine," Knuckles said dismissively. He didn't spend that much time sitting anyway. "So what do you want?"

"A cup of tea would be nice," Rouge said, starting to get annoyed. Knuckles was even less romantic than Sonic, and she'd met robots that were more romantic than Sonic!

"Tea," Knuckles said, thinking. "I think there's some in the kitchen--someplace. Help yourself."

"Gee, thanks," Rouge said, rolling her eyes, "you're a real sweetheart!"

"I am? Knuckles said. "For what?"

"Skip it," Rouge said. She stepped into his kitchen and gasped. It was a mess! Plates, dishes, cups, saucers, forks, spoons, knives, all over the place.

"What a housekeeper! You can sure tell that a bachelor lives here!" Before she realized it, she was filling the dirty sink with water. "What am I doing?" she asked herself, shutting off the water. "I'm not his maid!"

Rouge started going through Knuckles' cabinets, looking for the tea. It wasn't hard searching, there was very little anywhere. Apparently most of his kitchenware was already in use. She found half a loaf of bread with blue mold on it. "Gross!" she cried, dropping it in his trash can, which, of course, was also filthy. "What a slob!"

She finally found the tea in the last place she looked. "Figures," she muttered. She opened the little box. There were two tea bags left in it. One looked like it had been used already, then placed back into the box, still wet, where it had proceeded to drip onto the unused one. How he stayed healthy, she'd never know!

"Hey," she said, putting the tea back in disgust. She returned to the living room. "How 'bout taking a hungry girl out for a bite to eat?"

"Huh?" Knuckles said. He seemed to be considering this. "Well, Uncle Chuck's hot dog stand isn't too far from here, and…"

"A hot dog stand?!?" Rouge said. "Gee, big spender, sure you can afford it?"

"Sure I can," Knuckles said. "You think I'm cheap? I can buy you all the chili dogs you want!" Sarcasm was wasted on him.

"Boy," Rouge said, "you sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet!"

Knuckles stared at her. "You…want me to use you as a broom?"

"Are you doing this on purpose?!?" she shrieked, finally losing it. "Of all the…I oughtta slug you!"

"Whoa!" Knuckles cried, backing away from her. "Whoa! Calm down!"  
"Don't tell me what to do!" she yelled.

"Look," Knuckles said, "if you're going to be like that, I'll just go back to Julie-Su!"

"Does Julie-Su look like…_this_ in a bikini?" Rouge demanded.

"Duhh!"

"I didn't think so!" Rouge said, grabbing him by a dreadlock and pulling him out of the house backwards. "Now let's go someplace decent to eat!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Knuckles cried.

Meanwhile, Tails was still trying to figure out how he felt about his brother's sudden surprise return. "Wha-how--I haven't seen you for two years! Now you just come in here and…"

"Tails," Cream broke in, "you shouldn't yell at family!"

"She's right you know," Sanguine said with his mouth full of Tails' cereal. "I've been doing a lot of travel--" He got choked. Cream smacked him on the back, knocking him to the floor.

"Oops! Sorry!" Cream said.

"Quit clowning around, Simon," Tails said, "and stay out of my food. I don't eat much anymore, so some of it might be spoiled."

"I can see I'm going to have to start looking out for you more!" Cream told Tails. "You should never let good food spoil! There are too many hungry people in this world!" She stared into his blue eyes, her own brown eyes full of concern. Tears started to form.

"Here," Sanguine said, reaching into a pocket of his coat. He started to pull out a handkerchief, then remembered he'd already given her one. He reached into another pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. He offered them each a piece. Cream took one, but Tails just rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Mister," Cream said. She still looked very depressed.

Sanguine now started pulling out his multi-colored handkerchiefs. Red, blue, green, yellow, purple, then repeat. He pulled them out, and handed them to Cream. "Here, hold this for me," he said. He reached into his pocket again. This time, he pulled out a bag of marbles, a bicycle horn, a pack of playing cards, and a Yu-Gi-Oh Ultimate Blue Eyes Dragon card. "So that's where I put it!" he said, handing it to Cream. "Don't get gum on it, I won a lot of duels with it while I was on Earth."

Tails snarled at his brother. "You were on Earth, and you didn't bother to look me up?!"

"You looked like you were doing fine without me," Sanguine said, digging through another pocket. Tails realized he was doing this because Cream had been about to cry, but it just annoyed him.

Sanguine pulled out several cereal box tops, a DVD of Frankenstein, an old gym sock that smelled absolutely horrible, a paperback novel, and a box of crayons he handed to Cream.

"Thanks," she said.

Sanguine was now digging through yet another pocket. He managed to produce a couple of packages of temporary tattoos, a Flash comic book, two erasers, a pair of reading glasses, a pillow case, three chopsticks, and a can of chili. Cream opened the Flash comic book and screamed. There was a woman on the first page wearing a creepy devil mask. She handed the comic to Tails. "Here!" she said. "I don't want to read about the Satan Club!"

Tails looked at the devil mask. As horrible as his life had been recently, this was still too scary for him. He quickly put the book away. And this was sold to kids?

Sanguine finally pulled out a large bag of peanut butter M&M's. He gave a handful to Cream, but Tails shook his head. Sanguine proceeded to pig out on the rest.

"What, no kitchen sink?" Tails asked, disgusted.

"Must be in my other suit," Sanguine said.

"Don't get choked, Mister Magician," Cream warned, "or I'll have to smack you again!"

Sanguine pulled out a close pin, closed the rest of the bag, and put it back in his pocket. He made sure he was finished eating before he said, "You ever think about going into wrestling?"

"My friend Big tried sumo wrestling once," Cream said. "He quit because he doesn't like hurting people. Neither do I. And neither does Tails. Especially since…" She gasped and stopped. "I didn't tell him, Tails!"

"It's okay, Cream," Tails said. He didn't bother to explain to his brother. What was the point? If he cared, he would have gotten in touch with him on Earth.

"Well, anyway," Cream said, "I should be going home now. But I'll be back with lunch." She pointed her finger at Tails. "And you'd better eat it or I'll sit on you and feed you like a baby, so there!" She turned and bowed to his brother. "Good day!" she said.

"See ya," Sanguine said. After she left, he turned to Tails. "Bossy little thing, isn't she?"

"She's been hanging around Amy too much," Tails said. "Wait a minute! Watch what you say about Cream! She's one of my best friends!"

"I didn't mean anything," Sanguine said. "How is Rosie the Rascal these days?" Sanguine asked.

"Don't call her that if you know what's good for you," Tails warned. "She's developed this power. I don't know how she does it, maybe it's a very limited form of chaos control, but she can make sledgehammers come apparently out of nowhere. And she uses them, too!"

"Cool!" Sanguine said. "Now maybe she'll finally catch your blue buddy!"

"Well, that's her plan," Tails said, "but Sonic just doesn't seem interested." He sat down. "I might as well tell you or you'll keep asking me," Tails said. "Sit down, big brother. Sit down and listen to what I did to the most important person in my entire life."

Sanguine listened as Tails told him about Cosmo. He nodded now and then, but didn't say anything. At last, Tails got to the final battle."

"You didn't!" Sanguine said.

"I did!" Tails said, his eyes haunted. "I pulled the trigger, and…and…" He couldn't hold it together any longer. He started crying. But at the same time, he realized it helped a little to talk about it. Sonic and Uncle Merlin would change the subject. Amy would give him a hug and tell him to try to forget, as if that were ever possible. The only one he could discuss this with was Cream, and he didn't want to burden her with his problems. She had her own demons to exorcise. The chances her father was still alive were nearly nonexistent, and she probably knew it. Tails suspected Vanilla was spending so much time lately with Vector for that very reason. She knew her husband wouldn't be coming home.

"I…I don't even know what to say," Sanguine said at last. Without his cool guy pretense, Tails' brother seemed like the younger of the two brothers. "I can't imagine what you're going through. But, that friend of yours said she just spoke to her…" He handed his brother a handkerchief.

"Amy conducted a…a séance," Tails said. "Sounds crazy, doesn't it?"

"I'm not surprised," Sanguine said. "She was the only girl in town that loved ghost stories. Remember that Halloween she went as a zombie with a knife in her stomach? She had future witch written all over her, and I'm not talking about her personality."

"Amy drives me crazy some times," Tails admitted, "but she's a good friend. Can you at least try not to annoy her too much this time?"

"Rosie and I don't get along," Sanguine said. "Not since that summer she tried to make your buddy jealous by chasing me. Can you believe he told me to take good care of her right in front of her, then ran off? I think she blames me because he didn't fall for it."

Tails got up and started pacing the floor. "I've tried and I've tried and I've tried, but I just can't think of another way that we could have stopped Dark Oak." He wasn't really talking to his brother now, he was just thinking out loud. "Maybe Super Sonic and Super Shadow could have stopped him without her sacrifice. They would have both been killed, though, I think. I don't care what happened to Shadow, but…"

"Miles," his brother said, "if your girl doesn't blame you, then…"

"I know! I know!" Tails said. "I shouldn't blame myself either! But I have to! It's too easy to just blame Dark Oak. He didn't force me to shoot her! Shadow I can blame. Just riddance to him!"

"Do you blame Sonic?" Sanguine asked softly.

"I…No," Tails said finally. "No. I couldn't. It wasn't his fault." But deep down a little voice asked if he was sure of that.

"I'm surprised she was able to hold this guy for even a few minutes if he was so powerful," Sanguine went on. "She must have had incredible potential. It's too bad she couldn't have done this super transformation thing."

Tails gasped. Super Cosmo? Yes, Super Cosmo could have saved the day and come back to him. If only… He sighed. "There's no way of knowing who can super transform and who can't," Tails said. "Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald, but he can't."

"Well, Knucklehead was never that bright," Sanguine started to say.

"Don't bother him either!" Tails cried. "I mean it, Simon! Leave my friends alone!" He got up. "I have a headache. I'll be lying down in my room. Call me when Cream comes back."

"Sure, Miles," Sanguine said, as Tails left the living room. "I'll do that." Once alone, he got up. After checking to see that Tails had closed the door to his bedroom, so he wouldn't hear him snooping around, Simon Prower decided to explore his brother's house. When he came to a locked door, he thought, "That's not good." He reached into a pocket and pulled out lock picking tools. He was just about to start picking the lock, when there was a knock on the door. The bunny girl--what was her name again?--back already?

Sanguine went to the front door. He threw it open. "Mee-yes?"

Standing on the doorstep, looking suddenly angry, was Sonic.

"Well, well, well," Sanguine said. "Look who's here, little Nicky Parlouzer. Sorry, but Miles is taking a nap, so you can't ask him to do your homework for you right now."

"You're a scream," Sonic said, pushing past him.

"Sure, come right on in!" Sanguine said. "Glad to see ya!"

"You're here to mooch off of Tails again, aren't you?" Sonic demanded. "You listen here, buddy, Tails is in really bad shape right now. He can't be handling your nonsense!"

"I know he's in bad shape," Sanguine said, "no wonder, after what you did to his girlfriend!"

It was all Sonic could do not to punch him for that. "I tried my best to save her!" Sonic said. "I'd've done anything to bring Cosmo back to him!"

"Stop it!" Tails yelled, running into the room. "Stop fighting! I can't lose anybody else important to me! I won't!"

"Calm down, little buddy," Sonic said. "We're not fighting. We're just having a difference of opinion." He glared at Tails' brother.

Sanguine glared back. He'd always felt sensitive about the fact that Tails treated Sonic like a brother. Of course, he'd given Tails little reason to like his real brother, but that was beside the point. "We were just talking about old times," he said.

"Don't give me that!" Tails said. "I'm not stupid! I know you hate each other! You can't talk down to me, so stop trying!"

"You've gotten very cynical, Miles," Sanguine said. "It suits us. It doesn't suit you. Would your girl like you acting that way?"

Tails put his hand to his forehead. "I think I'm losing it," he said.

"Should I call your therapist, schedule you for an extra appointment?" Sonic asked. "You are still going to see her, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Tails said. "Don't worry, I'm not going to start lying to you."

"Do you…want me to call your parents?" Sonic asked.

"Wait," Sanguine said, "you're seeing a shrink?"

"She doesn't like to be called that," Tails said, "but yes, I am."

"Sonic," Sanguine said, "could I see you a second?"

"You can say something to him, you can say it to me!" Tails yelled. "What? You want to threaten him? Or do you want to say, 'I think my poor little brother's gone crazy?'"

"I just don't think that calling in Mom and Dad would be a good idea. Mom'll freak out, and Dad might…well…"

"What?" Tails demanded. "Put me away? Well…maybe that's where I belong."

Sonic and Sanguine stared at him. "Do you--do you want to be--put away?" Sonic asked. "You spend most nights going on long walks. They won't let you do that there. If-if you start--you know, freaking out, they'll…"

"Put me in a straightjacket, toss me in a padded cell?" Tails said. He turned away. "No. No, I may be crazy, but I'm not that far gone."

"You're not crazy!" Sonic said. "You just…need more time, little buddy."

"You're what Dad would call shellshocked," Sanguine said.

"You mean I have post traumatic stress syndrome," Tails said.

"Right," Sanguine agreed. "You feel guilty, because you made it back, and she didn't."

"So what do I do about it?" Tails asked.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sonic opened it.

"Hi, Sonic!" Cream cried. She had a big basket full of food. "Have you come to join us? It's such a nice day, I thought we should go to the park!"

"Not bossy, huh?" Sanguine whispered. Tails glared at him.

Cream was surprisingly assertive, and soon the four of them were walking through the park. As luck would have it, they ran into Knuckles and Rouge.

"Oh great," Tails muttered.

"Good morning, Knuckles!" Cream called. "Good morning, Miss Rouge!" So much for avoiding them.

"You!" Knuckles yelled, glaring at Tails' brother.

"How ya doing, Gertrude?"

"Arrgh! Don't call me Gertrude!" Knuckles yelled.

"Well, well," Rouge said, "and who's this tall drink of water?'

"Tails' brother," Cream said, "Sanguine the Sensational!"

"You're pretty sensational-looking yourself, Toots!" Sanguine said, presenting her with another fake flower. "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"Nice ain't got nothing to do with it, big boy," Rouge said. She gave him her address. "Why don't you come up and see me some time?"

"Hey!" Knuckles yelled, stepping between them. "I saw her first!"

"Calm down, Murgatroyd," Sanguine told him, "I'm not cutting in on your date. See you around, Cutie!"

"See ya, Slick!" Rouge said as Knuckles dragged her away. "Woo hoo!" Rouge told herself. "I got him jealous! So the big oaf does care!"

"Why do you keep calling Knuckles by girls' names?" Cream asked Sanguine.

"Because he doesn't like it," Sanguine said. "If he didn't blow his top, I'd get bored and probably stop."

"That's not nice!" Cream said. "Shame, shame on you!"

"Let's go," Tails said, starting off through the park again. He didn't want Sonic and his brother fighting again. They walked to an open area about the size of a picnic table.

"Tails, you're not eating," Cream said, pouting.

"I'm sorry," Tails said, "I'm not really hungry."

"That'll never do," Cream said. She put a big piece of potato on a fork, then started waving it around, making airplane sounds. "Vroom! Nyeeom! Come on, Tails! Here comes the airplane. Open the hangar! Vzoom!" She put the end of the fork in his mouth. "Come on, chew! Mm-mm! Isn't that good?"

Tails blushed. "No jokes, you guys!" he warned Sonic and his brother. Despite his embarrassment, he allowed Cream to feed him. He realized he really did want his mother. But she and his father would overreact so much. It was terrible, especially after he'd worried about them for so long, but he was afraid to have his parents take care of him. His mother always used to dress him funny, and his father would make him do calisthenics every day, maybe for hours. Still, he was just about ready to call them back himself. He needed them.

_Mother! Cosmo's boy is falling apart! I need to tell her!_

_No, you need for her to decide to look in on him herself._

_But…_

_Trust me. This is all for the best…_


	11. Chapter 11: Trouble At the Beach

AFTER THE METAREX

Chapter Eleven

"

Naturally, Tails didn't want to go to the beach. He knew what Amy was up to, and didn't want anything to do with her scheme. Unfortunately, his brother wanted to go.

"Come on, Miles," Sanguine said. "You need to get out of the house." Now Tails had him to worry about annoying him. And if there was one thing Simon Prower was good at, it was being annoying! "You need to get out of the house in the daytime when there are people out and about that you might actually talk to, instead of creeping around at night. You haven't been sleeping in the cemetery again, have you?"

"I only did that once," Tails said, "and only because I fell asleep while sitting on a tombstone. So spare me your lectures on my getting morbid."

"We'll deal with that another time," his brother said. "Right now, you're going to the beach. Since when did you care if people looked at you?"

"I've always worried about people staring at me," Tails said, waving his two tails. "I never told Cosmo how I felt because I was sure she'd just think about me the same way other people did. If I hadn't, I would have told her how I felt before…" He sighed.

"You never kissed her?" Sanguine asked.

Tails blushed. "No!" he said. "No way!" But he remembered his one kiss. He had never mentioned it to anyone else. She had kissed him, or at least tried to. Sadly, he had felt only the gentlest of breezes. Besides, his family firmly believed that kissing was something you only did when you were really in love with someone. "Why? Have you?"

"A few," his brother said.

As they headed towards the beach, Tails mind went back to that last day. "I'll always love you, Tails!" Then why did she want him to move on? To find someone else? How could he face her in Heaven, knowing he'd cheated on her?

"Onichan," Tails said, "why do bad things happen to good people? We did everything right, but it still wasn't enough. Sonic has Amy. He doesn't want her, but she's always there. Knuckles has two girls fighting over him. Why did I lose mine? Was I a bad person in a previous life? Am I being punished for something I don't remember?" He shook his head. "Sorry. That's…just the kind of thing that goes through my head now and then. I mean, I know I should be thankful that she spoke to me at all after…after I…" He rubbed at his eyes. "She said she's happy. She's with her family. I know her mom and sisters will help her through this, she was always talking about them. But…but I want more! A few little messages just makes me want to see her more and more. I guess that's why she spoke to Sonic the other day instead of me."

"I don't know what to say," his brother admitted. "I've never been at a loss for words before, Miles, but…but if your speaking to each other hurts both of you, then…then maybe it's for the best. You don't want to keep pulling her back if it's painful for her." He gave Tails a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry," Tails said, blowing his nose. He held it out to his brother.

"Keep it," Sanguine said. "I just bought a dozen."

"I'm pretty pathetic, huh?" Tails asked.

"She didn't seem to think so," Sanguine said. "You don't think she'd fall for somebody who was pathetic, do you?"

"Well, she might have felt sorry for me…"

"That little floppy-eared girl seems to like you too…"

"Cream?!?" Tails said. "We're just friends! She isn't even interested in boys yet."

As they approached the beach, Tails asked, "I haven't seen you in two years! Why _did_ you suddenly come back? Did Uncle Merlin…"

"We don't talk," Sanguine said. "He's never forgiven me for learning some of his magic, then using it for entertainment purposes. The last time I saw him, he said, 'You'd better straighten up and fly right, boy, or you're going to come to a bad end.' What good is magic if you can't make people happy?"

"He takes it very seriously," Tails agreed. "You should talk to him while you're hear. How long _are_ you going to be here this time?"

"We'll see," Sanguine said, "actually, I came because I'd heard you'd built a spaceship, gone out and fought space aliens. Sounded like I could get a lot of good anecdotes out of that. What did you build it out of, anyway?"

"I located and raised an old battleship," Tails said. "It took a lot of work. The thing I was most proud of was the wave motion gun. Now I wish I'd never figured out how to make it. That's…that's what took her from me."

"I don't know much about machinery," Sanguine said, "but wouldn't that take an awful lot of power?"

"We used the Master Emerald," Tails said. "But even it wasn't strong enough to beat Dark Oak. I wonder why he was so much stronger than the other four?"

"Maybe he was a mutant," Sanguine suggested.

"Like me," Tails said softly.

"Unless you're a youko."

"I am not a fox demon!" Tails cried.

"Shh," Sanguine said, "we're here."

The beach had been relatively untouched by Eggman, since he occasionally came out to enjoy himself there. Of course, he tended to chase everyone else away. The beach wasn't too crowded that day, despite it being mid-July. The first person they saw was Cream. She and Cheese were making a sand castle. Nearby, Amy was spreading sun screen on herself. She looked very grumpy. Obviously, she'd hoped to get Sonic to do that for her.

"Hey, Tails!" Cream cried, looking up from her work. "Come on! We can use your help!"

"Chao chao?" Cheese said.

"Yes, I know we don't really need help," Cream said. "I'm trying to get Tails to have some fun," Also, she was hoping Tails would notice her swimsuit. She'd decided that if she was going to catch a boyfriend, the suits she wore last year wouldn't do it, so she'd talked Amy into letting her get a bikini, and not telling her mother. Amy had kept it at her house until this morning.

"Chao chao."

"What do you mean this suit makes me look fat?"

Tails went over to the sand castle, completely ignoring Cream's suit. "You need to fix it like this so it won't cave in," he said. He proceeded to give Cream some tips on engineering.

"Wow," Cream thought, "I never realized before…how boring Tails can get sometimes! No wonder Cosmo was always staring out into space. Tails really doesn't know how to have fun. This is going to take more work than I thought."

"It's so good to see Tails playing like a regular kid," Amy said, oblivious to the bored expression on Cream's face as Tails droned on and on about construction.

"Yeah, it sure is," Sanguine agreed.

"AHH! YOU!!"

"How ya doin', Rosie?"

Amy jumped up. Her suntan lotion dropped, lidless, into her picnic basket. Amy paid it no attention as she summoned a pico-pico hammer. "What are _you_ doing here?!?" she demanded.

"I missed you too," Sanguine said. "What have you got in that pickinik basket?"

"Nothing for you, you pig!" Amy said, waving her hammer at him. "Get out of here! Go on! Beat it! And doing upset Tails! Your brother is going through a really tough time right now! He doesn't need to have to put up with your nonsense!"

"Calm down, Rosie," Sanguine said, backing away from her.

"Don't call me ROSIE!!!" Amy yelled, rushing at him. "I'm gonna knock you to the moon!!"

"And away we go!"

While, of course, no match for Sonic, Sanguine was incredibly fast. He allowed Amy to almost catch him, then stuck his tongue out at her, blew her a raspberry, and said, "Meep! Meep!" He left her far behind.

"Tails," Cream said, "why don't Amy and your brother like each other?"

"Well, Simon likes to pick on people who get angry easily, or take themselves too seriously," Tails said. He started adding a moat around the castle. "I also think he's looking for attention. Amy yells when he annoys her, so he annoys her again and again, hoping to get the same reaction from her."

"That's terrible!" Cream said. She thought for a moment. "So if she just ignored him, he'd leave her alone?"

"I think so," Tails said.

Cream thought about this some more. "Tails," she said at last, picking up her bucket to get more mud, "do you think your brother's a nice person? I mean, I thought he was at first, but then he picked a fight with Knuckles, and now he's being mean to Amy."

"I don't think he really means anything about it," Tails said. "I think he's bored and unhappy with his life or something."

"How come you never mentioned you have a brother to me before?" she asked, pouting. "I thought you and I were close." "But I'd like to be closer," she added to herself.

"I'm sorry," Tails said. "Simon disappeared not long after Mom and Dad were captured by aliens."

"Your mom and dad were captured by aliens?!?" Cream cried. "You never told me that, either!"

"Sorry," Tails said. "Sonic rescued them--long story--and, well…they didn't like him. For…several reason." He didn't tell her that his father had once been arrested, and Sonic had caught Tails breaking him out of prison. Tails' parents had hated Sonic ever since.

"Do you look like your Mom or your Dad?" Cream asked as they started to build another tower.

"I don't know," Tails said. "Never really thought about it."

"You and your brother look a lot alike," Cream said. "You're both hand…" She gasped as she realized what she had been about to say out loud. Tails, who had started to make a similar statement to Cosmo the day of that party, noticed.

"Oh no!" he thought. "I think Cream's getting a crush on me!" How could he tell her there was no chance of anything besides friendship happening between them without hurting her feelings? He would not betray his love for Cosmo, even though she'd asked him to find love again. He couldn't!

"Your brother's nice to me," Cream said. "Do you think he would have been nice to Cosmo?"

"If he wanted to keep on being my brother, he would have!" Tails said firmly. He would have like to think that his whole family would have liked Cosmo, would have accepted her. But he knew his parents. "But, Miles, what would our friends say?" he could practically hear his mother asking him. "You're not marrying a girl with flowers growing out of her ears, boy!" he imagined his father shouting. "Now drop and give me twenty push-ups!"

"I was thinking," Cream said, "You want to make a tribute to Cosmo, right? Maybe we could make a big picture of Cosmo. Or a mural. Or a statue."

"Those are all great ideas," Tails said. "Thank you, Cream. I always know I can count on you. You're a good friend!"

"I'm not a friend!" Cream wanted to say. "I'm a girl!" But she didn't want him to look at her like she was being an idiot or something. So she kept it to herself. She hadn't admitted her feelings to anyone. Not to her mother, not to Amy, not even to Cheese, and she had never kept a secret from Cheese before. "So this is why they're called growing pains!" she realized as she watched Tails go back to work on the sand castle. Still, it was great to see Tails' smile again.

"I want to keep seeing that smile," she thought. "I want to hear you laugh again. You're becoming just as moody as Cosmo was. You're daydreaming like she did. You can't be both yourself and her, Tails! You just can't!" But she didn't have the nerve to tell him any of the things she was thinking.

"I'm too late!" she realized. "The time to win him was before he fell in love with Cosmo. But I was too childish back then. I didn't even understand what she and Amy were talking about, when Amy asked how things were going with her and Tails. If I'd just been a little older, I might have realized in time. Why was I born too late?"

Amy was reading a romance novel she'd brought when she heard, "You set Tails up with Cream?" She called her hammer, thinking Tails' crazy brother had come back to bug her some more. Instead, she saw a very familiar blue, spiky haired boy.

"Sonic!" Amy cried, dropping her hammer. It landed on her picnic, but she didn't notice. "Well, no, actually, I set him up with…" she looked around. "Where _is _that girl?" She snorted, then shrugged. "Oh well, if it doesn't work out, and Tails and Cream grow closer, that's great, right? I mean, your sidekick and my sidekick. It's karma!"

"You've been reading too many romance novels," Sonic said. "And comic books. We're not exactly superheroes, you know."

"Oh, but you'd look so cute in a costume!" Amy said. "And I've really been improving in my sewing!"

"I'll…keep that in mind," Sonic said, rolling his eyes. "So, I guess Cream has told you that Tails' brother is back in town?"

"I just chased him _out_ of town!" Amy said angrily. "He's eating Tails out of house and home, isn't he?"

"I'm much more worried about Tails than that idiot," Sonic said. He looked over at Tails and Cream. "But being around Cream does seem to be good for him. Of course, that might just be because she has some idea what he's going through. I mean, Emerl, and all."

"Don't you miss him?" Amy asked. "He was our practice child."

"Say what?" Sonic said. "Seriously, Amy, lay off those paperbacks. They always have sappy happy endings. And that's not real life. In real life, sometimes people in love are separated forever."

"Not forever, Sonic," Amy insisted. "You just have to believe." Her expression suddenly changed. "Now…how about putting suntan lotion on my back. Pleeaase?"

"Knuckles," Julie-Su said, "why do you keep looking around?" She sounded suspicious.

"Uh…no reason," Knuckles said nervously. How could he possibly have invited two girls out on the same date?! At any moment, Rouge might show up, and then…

"Hey, Knuckie!" Knuckles cringed. She was a thief! Didn't she have the sense to be sneaky?

"Well, well," Julie-Su said. "What an amazing coincidence that _you'd_ show up at the beach, the very day Knuckles and I came here!" She glared at Rouge, then at Knuckles.

"Yeah," Rouge said, grinning, "how 'bout that?" She glared at Julie-Su, then at Knuckles.

"I gotta remember to make out my will!" Knuckles said to himself. "If I get out of this one!"

"Nice old fashioned bathing suit you got there, dearie," Rouge said. "I didn't know they still made them like that!"

"Well, we can't all dress like trollops, _dearie._" Julie said.

"What did you call me?!?" Rouge yelled.

"Let me think before I answer," Julie-Su said, "I wouldn't want to confuse you by using any big words."

"Uh, girls…" Knuckles said, stepping between them in hopes of stopping a fight from breaking out.

Since they were both angry at him, he really should have known better. Before he knew it, he was getting the stuffing beat out of him from both girls.

"Ow!" he cried. "Hey, wait a…Ow! Stop it!" He fell, and they started kicking sand in his face.

"Jerk!" Julie-Su screamed. "Idiot! Moron! How dare you invite me out on the same date you invite some other girl!"

"You have some weird little fantasy in your pointed head?" Rouge demanded. "You pig!"

"Hey, wait, I--pbbt! Stop kicking sand in my mou--pbbt! Aw, come on! Pbbt!"

"Let's deep six him!" Julie-Su said. She grabbed his ankles, Rouge grabbed his wrists. They swung him out over the water.

"One…"

"How dare you?!" Knuckles yelled. "I am the guardian of the Master Emerald!"

"Two…"

"Aw, come on, girls! I'm sorry!"

"THREE!!!"

Knuckles flew about a couple of miles out into the ocean. BLOOSH!

Rouge and Julie-Su watched him fly off, then looked at each other. There was a pause, then the fight was on again.

"Um…shouldn't we try to break them up?" Cream asked Tails.

"I don't want to get thrown out to sea," Tails said. "Best we just let them get it out of their system. That tower's starting to sag."

"I got it!" Cream said, fixing the slowly collapsing tower.

"Get back here, and put suntan lotion on my back!" Amy shrieked, chasing Sonic with her pico-pico hammer. Sonic missed Cream and Tails' sand castle. Amy didn't.

"Hey!" Cream yelled. "Watch where you're going!" She sighed and started rebuilding the castle.

When Amy lost Sonic, she returned to her beach blanket. "Hey!" she yelled. Sanguine was sitting on her blanket, reading her romance book. "Get out of here, you idiot!"

"Dwayne's the crazy one," Sanguine said, "she winds up with Harry."

"AUGH!!! You ruined the ending!!!" She chased him down the other side of the beach.

"Amy gets angry too easy," Cream said. "Do you think that's why Sonic runs away from her?"

"Wouldn't be surprised," Tails said, digging a new moat.

"I'm giving up girls and becoming a monk!" Knuckles muttered as he swam for shore. A wave hit him and dragged him under. As he struggled to the surface, he didn't notice the shark.

Sanguine returned and starting building something in the sand near Tails and Cream's sand castle.

"What's that?" Cream asked. "A snake?"

"Dragon invading your castle," Sanguine said. When he was finished, he put an action figure on the monster. It looked like a weird cross between Darth Vader and Batman. "Hahaha! I will lay siege to your castle and steal your treasure!"

"Oh no you won't, evil overlord!" Cream said. "We have a giant to defend it! Cheese! You're the giant!"

"Chao--huh?"

Amy staggered back, out of breath. She grabbed her quills in frustration. How could Debbie flirt with Tails if Cream, not to mention Stupid, were hanging around him? _If_ Debbie ever showed up.

"Um…hi?" Speak of the devil. Amy turned towards the speaker.

"It's about ti…Where's your swimsuit?"

"I…don't have one," Debbie said.

Amy rolled her eyes. "You should have told me sooner," she said. She went through her stuff, finally pulling out a purple bikini. "Go in the changing room and put this on."

Debbie blushed. "I…I can't wear a bikini!"

"Why not?" Amy demanded. "You have some big ugly gross scar on your stomach or something?"

"No, but…"

Amy's hammer was suddenly in her hands.

"Where did that come from?" Debbie asked, taking a step backwards.

"....." Amy said slowly, flames seeming to surround her face. "Now!"

Debbie ran for the changing room. If she'd known Amy was nuts, she never would have made friends with her!

"Ow!" Knuckles yelled as something very rough rubbed against him. Had somebody thrown sand paper in the water? Had he bumped into a coral reef? Then he saw the fin.

"You just picked the one guy to try to eat, buddy!" Knuckles yelled.

POW!!! He sent the shark flying. Yes! It felt so good to hit something! He continued his swim for the shore.

Cheese threw the action figure down and did a Tarzan imitation. "Chaoaoaooaaoo!"

"And the evil overlord is beaten!" Cheese said. "And there was much rejoicing in the village! Hip, hip, hooray!" She jumped up and down, slipped, and fell on her castle. "D'oh!"

"Come on, come on," Amy muttered. She was standing outside the changing room. "Stalling is only going to make me angrier!" she warned.

"Please, Amy," Debbie said, "there's something you should know…" She stuck her head out of the changing room.

Amy grabbed her wrist. "Let's go! Let's go!" She dragged Debbie back to her beach blanket. She hadn't even bothered to look to see if her suit fit. "Now you wait here, while I lure those two away from him."

"But, Amy…" Debbie said.

"Hush!" She started towards the smashed sand castle that Cream was rebuilding yet again.

"Oh, hi, Amy!" Cream said. "Did you come to help us?"

"Um, actually," Amy said, "I just found some beautiful seashells over that way. Come on! I'm sure we can pick out some great ones for your sand castle!"

"Okay," Cream said. "Come on, Tails!"

"I'm sure Tails isn't interested," Amy said quickly. "You know boys don't like anything that doesn't blow up." She turned to Sanguine. "And don't you even think of following us!" She knew if she invited him, he'd refuse. But now that she'd forbidden him, he was bound to follow! Maybe she should become a psychiatrist.

"You're going to follow her, aren't you?" Tails asked his brother.

"She's just begging me to," Sanguine said.

"Then she's probably leading you into a trap so she can hit you with her hammer," Tails warned.

"Yeah, cool, huh?" He noticed the girl on Amy's blanket. He blinked. Wha? This had to be the girl Amy was trying to set Tails up with. He could stay with his brother, and she'd probably chicken out and leave. But then Amy might hit her later. Or he could go and tell Amy to mind her own business. He decided to do the latter.

"There they are, Cream!" Amy said, relieved that she'd actually remembered where the shells were, considering she'd only seen them while chasing Tails' brother. "Why don't you sort them while I go get a basket? I'll be right back!" She nearly bumped into Sanguine. "Watch it!" she said. "I'll deal with you later!"

Sanguine would have followed her, but Cream saw him. "Mister Magician! Come and help me please!"

"I'll talk to you later…Rosie!"

"Argh! Don't call me that!" Amy said.

Amy returned to find Tails alone, and Debbie huddled on her blanket, covered with a towel.

"Come on!" she hissed. She grabbed the towel, then gave Debbie a push towards Tails. Debbie fell right into front of him.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed.

"It's okay," Tails said, helping her up. Tails and Amy both noticed at the same time what was strange about Debbie. While her head, hands, feet, and tail were those of a cat, the rest of her was…human.

To be continued


	12. Chapter 12: Going Over the Edge

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twelve

"Going Over the Edge"

Tails realized he was staring. "Uh…hi," he said finally. "I'm Miles Prower. Are you okay?"

"Um…uh…" The girl turned away from him. Tails looked over at Amy. She shrugged. He'd have to remember to give her a piece of his mind later.

"So…" Tails tried again, struggling to think of something to say, "Uh…I didn't catch your name."

"Debbie," the girl said. "Debbie Nekonyan. I…" She looked around, as if as desperate to think of something to say as he was. "Why are those two girls over there fighting?"

"The same guy asked them out today," Tails said.

"That's…that's terrible!" Debbie said. "I can't stand guys like that! But I don't think I'd want to know them, either."

"I don't think they would have both come if they'd known what he was doing," Tails said. "The pink one's a little scary, but she's nice. The other one's bad news. Trust me, you don't want to get to know Rouge the bat."

"I won't," Debbie said. She sighed. "But I can understand why a girl would go out with a creep. I mean…I guess I'd put up with something like that, just to have somebody that liked me. I mean, I'm so…funny-looking."

"No, no," Tails reassured her. "You look fine, really." Actually, she looked like somebody had used a computer program to place Blaze's head on Frances' shoulder, and then colored her hair pink. But he had to admit she looked pretty nice anyway. Of course, he was in love with a talking plant. No nose, flowers instead of ears. By rights, Cosmo shouldn't have been beautiful, but she was.

"You want to see funny-looking, take a look at this," Tails said, swishing his tails in opposite directions.

"I think that's amazing," Debbie said. Really cute."

"Thanks," Tails said. "You're…cute too. Um…excuse me a second, okay? I need to talk to a 'friend.'"

Debbie sighed as he walked away. He'd said she was cute, then left. "I guess he was just being nice," she said to herself. She looked down at herself. "Oh, yuck! My body's not weird enough looking already. I have to meet a boy when I've got belly button lint!"

Tails found Amy hiding behind her cooler. Did she realize nearly half of her was fully visible? He seriously doubted it. "Amy!" he said. He realized the girl had probably heard him, and lowered his voice. "What were you thinking?!?"

"She's a very nice girl, Tails," Amy said nervously. "Very sweet. You'll like her. Even if she is a bit…hairless?" She opened her cooler. "Sandwich?"

"If you weren't a girl, I'd give you a _knuckle_ sandwich!" Tails said. "You set me up with a girl who has issues about her looks?"

"All girls have issues about their looks," Amy said. "I'd like smaller feet and bigger…curves."

"Focus, Amy!" Tails said. "When I tell her it won't work out between us, she's going to think I'm dumping her because her body's funny-looking!"

"You're not, are you?" Amy asked.

Tails sputtered. "How can you even ask me that question?!" he demanded. "I thought by now you knew me better than that!"

"I'm sorry!" Amy said. "I--I was just trying to help you, Tails!"  
"I've told you and I've told you, I don't want another girl!" Tails said. "Why don't you listen to me?! What do I have to do to get it through to you?!?"

"It's not healthy, Tails," Amy said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I know you miss her. We all do. You have no idea how guilty Sonic feels! He's hurting too! Cream still has nightmares about that last day!"

"There's nothing I can do for them," Tails said. "I can't help them. I can't help Cosmo! I can't even help myself! I'm completely worthless!"

"No you're not!" Amy said, hugging him. "You're a wonderful boy, Tails, and a lot of people care about you. And we want you to be happy. And only love can mend a broken heart. And…"

"Stop meddling in my life!" Tails shouted, pulling away from her. "Cosmo was--is--the love of my life! I won't replace her!"

"She's not coming back!" Amy said. "You can't waste your life in mourning!"

"You're not my mother!" Tails yelled. "That's none of your business!"

"Amy, please!" Debbie cried, hurrying up to them. "I don't want you two to fight. I'll just get my clothes and leave!"

"Stay out of this, Debbie!" Amy said, pico-pico hammer suddenly appearing.

"Don't drag her down here, and then yell at her because of me!!" Tails told Amy. "What's wrong with you?"

Amy pouted. "You're all against me! Sonic doesn't love me, and now you're mad at me!"

Tails rolled his eyes. Trust Amy the drama queen to make this all about _her_!

"Look!" Cream cried, running up with her arms full of seashells. "I found the best…" She noticed Debbie. "Oh, hello." She bowed. "I'm Kurimu Yamato, but you can call me Cream!"

"Oh," Debbie said, bowing back. "Deborah Nekonyan. You can call me Debbie."

"Oh," Amy said, "did I forget to mention that I invited Debbie too?" Tails rolled his eyes.

Cream was surprised. Amy was scatterbrained sometimes, but she always knew exactly who she invited to what event. Then she noticed the bikini this new girl was wearing. Amy had just worn it last week. Cream put two and two together.

"Amy invited her here as a blind date for Tails!" the little bunny thought. She looked reproachfully at the hedgehog. How could she? Couldn't she see how Cream felt about Tails? "You should have invited _me_!" she said to herself. But she still didn't have the nerve to tell Amy, let alone Tails.

Something was starting to build inside of her. Something angry. Ugly. She had never felt this way before. So she didn't recognize it for what it was.

Quite simply, Cream was jealous.

"I'm…going swimming," Cream said.

"I wish I could swim," Debbie said. "But I'm scared of water."

"Tails is a good swimmer," Amy said quickly. "Tails! Give Debbie a swimming lesson!"

Tails sputtered. Hadn't Amy heard a word he'd just said?!?

"I'll teach her!" Cream said. To her credit, the little bunny wasn't thinking of dunking Debbie's head underwater or trying to drown her. She was, however, thinking that if Tails taught her how to swim, at some point he'd have to hold her up. And Cream knew she didn't want Tails touching another girl in a bikini!

"We still have to sort out all of your seashells!" Amy said, ushering Cream away. "Come on! Let's go!" She looked back over her shoulder. "Have fun you two!"

Tails sighed. To refuse now would be very embarrassing for both of them. "I'm not really that great a swimmer," he told Debbie, "but I can show you how to dogpaddle."

"I…wouldn't want to be a bother," Debbie said.

Tails froze. Cosmo had said that to him so many times. She was a bother. A burden. A hindrance to him. It must have hurt her so much. How could he do that to someone else? He looked into her eyes. They were very sad. Very tired. The same eyes he saw when he looked in the mirror, except that his eyes were blue, and Debbie's were green. She was suffering too. "Come on," he said softly. "We sad little misfits need to stick together."

"Here's another one!" Amy said, handing Cream what looked just like three other shells they already had. "Isn't this fun?"

Cream sighed. Obviously, Amy was keeping her distracted while Debbie made her move. Cream realized she must have paid more attention to those romance movies that Amy loved to watch than she had thought.

"So this is why they're called growing _pains_," she muttered.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"Oh, nothing."

One problem with trying to teach someone something is that it's much easier if the person being taught actually wants to learn. Debbie proved to be afraid to put her face in the water, afraid to float on her back, and kept asking about sharks.

"There are no sharks in these waters," Tails kept telling her.

"Barracuda?" she asked nervously.

"No barracuda either," Tails said.

"Piranha?"

Tails rolled his eyes again. "This is the sea," he pointed out. "Piranha are freshwater fish."

"You're so smart!" Debbie said. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm very annoying."

Again, her words shocked him. Cosmo had been so sure that she annoyed him. It was strange that she'd keep saying the same things Cosmo had. Or maybe not. Cosmo had confided a lot to Amy, and Amy had no doubt told Debbie a lot about him. How dare she repeat things Cosmo had told her in confidence!

"Tails?" Debbie said. "Are you okay?"

Tails realized he had been staring out at the beach towards where Amy had dragged Cream off. "Sorry," he said. "I have a lot on my mind these days."

"I saw her picture," Debbie said. "She was very beautiful. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks," Tails said. "Now, let's try this again, okay?"

Amy left Cream muttering to herself about something, and went to the edge of the water. She could see Tails and Debbie talking. She grinned. Unable to hear what they were saying, she naturally assumed, being Amy Rose, that the love bug had bitten both of them. Maybe she'd become a professional matchmaker when she grew up!

"I think Tails is going to be all right!" she said out loud.

"Hmm…and of course, you'd know a lot about romance, considering how well yours is going," came a voice behind her.

"That's right!" Amy said, "I…" She spun around, and found herself eye to eye with Tails' brother. "Didn't your mother ever tell you about not getting into other people's personal space?" she demanded, taking a step back.

"No, but Miles doesn't like it when I read over his shoulder," Sanguine said.

"But you do it anyway, don't you, you nut job!"

"Well, not when he's reading scientific journals and stuff like that there," Sanguine said.

"Will you get lost, nitwit?!?" Amy yelled.

"You know you're really cute when you get angry?"

"That's it!" Amy yelled, chasing him with her pico-pico hammer again.

"Um…Amy's chasing somebody with a hammer!" Debbie said to Tails.

"Yeah, she does that," Tails said. "That's my brother. They don't get along. After awhile, you just get used to that sort of thing. Don't worry, she's never caught him yet."

"Are they…dating?" Debbie asked, wondering what she was getting herself into, hanging out with these people. She'd lived a very sheltered life.

Tails grinned. "I wouldn't suggest that to her. She'd be after you next!"

Debbie gasped. "You mean she's…dangerous?!?"  
Tails rolled his eyes. This girl was afraid of everything under the sun! Not like Cosmo. She had been so brave, standing there. Smiling at him. Urging him to do the right thing. Knowing she wouldn't survive.

"Tails? Are you okay?" she asked again.

But he wasn't. And he didn't think he ever would be again. But he knew he couldn't bother Debbie with his problems. She'd been hurt too. Hurt badly. And she'd be hurt again when Tails made it clear to her that he just wasn't interested.

"Amy's not dangerous," he said at last. "She rants and raves, and she'll chase you if you get her angry, but she won't hurt you."

"Wow!" Bokkun cried. He was supposed to bring one of the doctor's exploding tv sets to Sonic, but he'd been sidetracked by Cream. Last year, she'd worn a modest one-piece with a skirt. But this year…

"I can see her bellybutton!" Bokkun cried. He set down the tv set, and completely forgot it as he dug through his bag and pulled out a camera. He started taking pictures.

Bokkun was so busy snapping Cream's picture, he didn't notice when somebody passed by, saw the tv set, noticed he wasn't paying attention, and ran off with it!

"Oh Creamy Cream!" Bokkun sighed, putting in another roll of film. "Will you ever be mine?" But what chance did he have with her? She was beautiful, and he was a robot!

Cream finally finished sorting the shells, then raced into the water after Tails and Debbie.

Bokkun put his camera down with a sigh. Now, what was it he was supposed to do again? Oh, right. He was supposed to find Sonic, and show him Doctor Eggman's message on the… He looked around. The tv set! Where was it?!? He looked under a rock much too small to conceal the tv. He picked up a crab, and got pinched for his trouble.

"Owie! Owie! Owie!" he screamed, running around in circle. "Leggo! You're mean! Mommy!" He finally collapsed onto the sand. What was he going to do now? Doctor Eggman would be so angry at him!

Suddenly, far down the beach, there was a "Ka-BOOOM!!!"

"Huh?" Bokkun cried, looking up. "How could it go off 'way off down there? Hm…Hey! Must be thieves around here!!!" He gritted his teeth. "I can't stand crooks!"

Sonic had heard the explosion, and raced off to see what had happened. He found a pig staggering about next to the burned remains of one of Eggman's televsion sets. Sonic had no idea how the pig had gotten ahold of it, but that wasn't important. What mattered was the fact that an Eggman attack was emminent. He had to warn everybody.

Sonic's super keen eyes scanned the beach. Amy was chasing Tails' crazy brother down the beach. Tails was in the water with a girl that had to be Amy's friend, looking like he was trying hard not to scream. Cream was wading towards them. Knuckles was still about three hundred yards out to sea. And Julie-Su and Rouge were still fighting. "It's like I'm in a madhouse!" Sonic said out loud. He decided to warn Tails and Cream first.

The problem was, they were in the water. While Sonic had learned how to dogpaddle a little while he was on Earth, he wasn't very good at it, and still didn't like water. Well, if it wasn't too deep for Cream, then it wasn't too deep for him. He hurried towards them.

"Tails!" Sonic called when he was up to his chest. "Hey, Tails! Eggman's on his way!"

"Is that Sonic the Hedgehog?" Debbie asked.

"Yeah, that's him," Tails agreed. "And Doctor Eggman's coming!"

Debbie squealed. "Is he really as awful as everybody says he is?"

"We've fought worse," Tails said. "But he's pretty bad." An image of a maniac in dark purple armor jumped into his head. He muttered a curse.

"Come on!" he said to Debbie. "I have to get you out of here!" He spun his tails, and rose out of the water. "Here! Take my hands!"

"Oh, wow!" Debbie cried. "You really can fly! That's so great! I don't have any powers. I mean, I can climb trees pretty good, but that's not…"

"Just take my hands!" Tails repeated. This girl was going to drive him crazy!

Tails had just lifted off when a huge wave came up. Tails tried to rise above it, but it washed over them. Splash! Tails found himself underwater, and realized he couldn't tell which way was up. Then Ka-Bloosh! Skipped into the mud on his face. A moment later, Knuckles, still swimming, landed on him.

"Blahhg! Geddoffame!" Tails screamed. "You're squishing my head!" When Knuckles didn't move fast enough, Tails sank his fangs into the echidna's arm.

"Arrgh!" Knuckles yelled, shaking him off. "You little cannibal! I oughtta…"

"Ho ho ho! Submit to the Eggman Empire!" The voice came from a huge robot that stepped out of the ocean onto dry land. In fact, it stepped right on the second sandcastle that Tails and Cream had made.

"Oh no!" Cream cried. "My sandcastle! You big meanie!"

"You made Cream cry!" Bokkun said.

"Shut up!" Eggman yelled. "Insubordination will not be tolerated!" He was riding inside of the robot, working its controls.

"Wow, you sure know a lot of big words!" Bokkun said.

"I do have a rather high I.Q.!" Eggman bragged. "But what's keeping you? Did Sonic get my message?"

"Um…well, you see…" Bokkun stalled.

"What message, Egghead?" Sonic demanded, suddenly showing up.

Eggman glared at Bokkun. "My ridiculous little messenger robot was supposed to play you a film where I asked you if you were really sure that I sent Chris back home to Earth. Did you fall down on the job again, you clattering piece of junk?"

Sonic clenched his fists. "Never mind that!" he said angrily. "What did you do to Chris?"

"Oh…wouldn't you like to know? Ho ho ho!"

Sonic saw red. One friend had died recently because he had messed op. Should he have smashed that ship and saved Chris?

BAM! Sonic knocked the robot over into the water.

"Hey!" Eggman yelled. "I'm not finished messing with your mind yet!" He brought the robot back up on its feet.

"Where is he?" Sonic demanded. "Where's Chris?!?"

"How should I know?" Eggman said. "I…aye yi yi!"

He'd just noticed Julie-Su and Rouge mud wrestling. They'd barely noticed the tidal wave. Eggman whipped out a movie camera. "That's it! Slap her face! Oh yeah! Now make her eat mud!"

"You are such a pig!" Amy Rose screamed, showing up. She rushed for the robot. Blang! She went fluying backwards.

"Oh, gross!" Julie-Su suddenly said. "That fat tub of goo's filming us!"

"He's such a skuzz!" Rouge yelled, flapping her wings. She spun a tornado at the robgot.

"Hey! Stop that!" Eggman yelled as his robot started spinning around in circles. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"Yeah, right!" Rouge said, kicking the robot. "You make me sick!"

Tails wanted to help, but he had his hands full. Debbie was terrified, and clung to him the way Amy clung to Sonic. "Don't let him get me!" she sobbed. "Don't let him get me!"

"Come on!" Tails yelled. "Let go! Eggman hasn't even noticed you! I have to help my friends!"

"Nooo!" she wailed. "Don't leave me! I want my mommy!'

Tails struggled, but it was like she was glued to him. Climb trees? She could probably walk on ceilings!

"Shame on you, Bokkun!" Cream cried, noticing the little robot for the first time. "How can you be so mean? Helping that awful Doctor Eggman hurt people?!?"

"It's not my fault, Cream!" Bokkun said nervously. "I'm not really bad, honest! I just…follow orders. It's what I'm supposed to do. He's my master I don't have a choice!"

"Everyone always has a choice," Cream insisted. "You just have to do what you know is right, even if it's scary. Look at Cosmo! She was the bravest person I know! You…you're a coward and a…a meanie!" She raced off to help her friends.

Bokkun sobbed. She was right. He was a coward. He didn't deserve her love.

As Knuckles punched one leg of the robot, Cream threw Cheese at the other. Blang! The robot went down again. Julie-Su and Rouge, both raging, started to rip the robot apart.

"This is a sample of what I'm going to do to you!" Rouge yelled, tearing one of the robot's arms off and beating the clear faceplate that Eggman was cringing behind.

"Woo! I'd better get while the getting's good!" he cried, pushing the emergency ejection seat button.

Fwoosh! He shot out of the robot, wearing a jet pack like the one Bokkun had. "I'll be back!" he yelled.

"Don't leave yet," Rouge said, spinning another tornado. "Here! Go for a spin!"

"Oh nooooooooooo!!!" Eggman yelled as he spun off.

"Looks like Team Rotten's blasting off again!" Sonic quipped.

"Hey!" Sonic yelled at Rouge. "I need to find out what he did with Chris!!!"

"Oh, don't worry," Rouge assured him. "I think he actually liked the little twerp for some reason!" Then she noticed something. "What's going on? I feel a draft!" She looked down. She was covered with mud. Just mud.

"Dang it, Julie-Su!" Rouge yelled, rushing at the echidna, who was now also covered with just mud. "That was a brand new bathing suit!"

"Put it on my bill!" Julie-Su yelled, and the fight was on again.

"Okay," Sonic muttered. "Note to self: find out if anybody besides Eggman filmed that fight!"

"Ah, man!" Tails cried, finally escaping Debbie. "I missed everything!"

"You were so brave!" Debbie said, following him.

Tails bit back the urge to tell her off. This wasn't a Freedom Fighter. This was just an ordinary kid who had been placed in danger. He remembered vaguely the first time _he'd_ faced Eggman. He'd cried his eyes out afterwards.

"Debbie," Tails said softly, "you're a very nice girl, but…"

"But you're not interested," Debbie said. "I know. I'm sorry, Tails. I never should have said yes, but Amy was so persuasive, and…and you're so adorable. I hoped…" she blushed. "I'm sorry."

"Debbie," Tails said. "It's not you. It's me. I know Cosmo isn't coming back, but I can't move on. I just can't. I'm sure you'll find somebody who'll treat you special like you deserve."

"He could never be as special as you," Debbie said sadly, kissing Tails on the cheek. She turned and walked away. "Please," she said without turning around. "Don't say anything more. I'm going. I--I don't want you to see me…cry!"

Tails sighed. He felt awful. He turned, and saw Amy with Sonic and Cream. He stomped over to her.

Amy grinned. "Uh…heh heh! Hi!"

"Don't _ever_ do something like this again!" Tails yelled at her.

"I'm sorry," Amy said. "I didn't know she was…"

"I don't care what she looks like!" Tails cried. "It doesn't make any difference! I don't want another girl! Ever! Do you hear me?!?"

Amy put her arms around Tails. "It's okay, Tails!" she said.

"What?" Tails asked. Was she forgiving him for what had just happened with Debbie?

"It's all right," Amy said. "But you have to accept what's happened, honey."

"Wha-what are you…?"

"Cosmo's gone, Tails," Amy said softly.

"Stop it!" Tails sobbed.

"Cosmo died, Tails! I know it hurts, but you have to face it! Cosmo loved you, but she's gone now."

"Don't…" Tails moaned.

"It's not your fault," Amy said, patting him on the back. "But she's gone, Tails. She can't come back to you. I'm sorry, but you won't see her again."

"Amy!" Sonic cried. "What are you doing to him?"

"He needs to deal with this," Amy said. "He's still in denial. It's okay, Tails. Cosmo wants you to go on. To live. Love. Laugh. And be happy. And you have to do this for her, okay?"

"Shut up!" Tails screamed, struggling desperately. "Shut your trap! Let me go you witch!"

"I know you're hurting now," Amy said, "but you're never alone. We'll get you through this. Let it out, Tails. Let it all out. Scream. Curse. Hit me. Go ahead. Until you really deal with the pain, you're not going to be able to move on."

"Stop it, Amy!" Cream yelled. "You're making him feel worse!"

"It has to be done," Amy insisted. "I miss her too. We all do. But that part of your life is over, Tails."

"Hey! Let him go!" Sanguine yelled. The clown was gone. Behind it, was the face of an angry drifter who'd seen too much ugliness in the world, and had hid from it rather than deal with it. Simon Prower looked half-crazy. "Get your mitts off of my brother!"

"Mind your own business!" Amy yelled. "You're an awful brother! You always have been! You don't deserve to be related to a great kid like this!"

When Amy had turned to yell at his brother, Tails gained the leverage to break free. He ran down the beach, screaming.

"Miles!" Sanguine cried.

"I'll get him!" Sonic said. He took off. He'd nearly catched Tails when he saw his friend's tails spin. Tails rose into the air and flew out over the water, where Sonic couldn't follow.

In fact, no one could follow him now. No one except…

"Tails!!!" Cream shrieked, flapping her ears. "Shame on you, Amy! What's the matter with you?!?" She took off over the waves after Tails without waiting for Amy to answer.

"Are you happy now?" Sanguine demanded. "What are you trying to do, drive him right off the edge?!?"

"At least I'm trying to help him!" Amy yelled. "Unlike you! You left him when he was four! Just ran out on him! Sonic had to be his big brother, because you wouldn't even try! He used to cry himself to sleep saying, "I must be a bad little brother! Onichan doesn't want me!"

Sanguine walked away.

"Yeah, that's it!" Amy yelled. "Run out on himi again when he needs you! What good are you, you worthless piece of trash!"

"Amy, that's enough!" Sonic said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Insulting him isn't helping Tails."

"I know," Amy said, "but it makes me feel a little better." She threw her arms around Sonic, but not in her usual way. She was shaking. "I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I was just trying to help him! It's not fair! It shouldn't have happened!"

"I know, Amy," Sonic said softly. "I know."

"He's not here anymore, Sonic!" Amy went on. "Not really. He's just a ghost, a shadow of our little Tails! I want him back, Sonic! I want to hear him go on and on about some invention he's working on, even though I never understand a word he's saying!"

"I know," Sonic said again. He looked over at Tails' brother, who was still walking away. What was wrong with that guy? Didn't he care what his brother was going through?

"Wh-what are we going to-to do, Sonic?" Amy sobbed.

Sonic sighed. "I've put this off for too long, hoping he'd get better," he said at last. "I-I'm calling Tails' parents. Maybe his mom can help him. It's obvious that we can't." He shut his eyes. "I should have done more! I should have tried harder to save Cosmo ! But I was so tired…"

"It's not your fault either," Amy said. You did what you had to do! You saved us all!"

"Not me," Sonic said. "I wasn't the hero that time. Cosmo and Shadow both did more than me. And Tails…He did more than anyone ever should have to do!" He laid his head on Amy's shoulder. "You know," he said, more to himself than to her, "I wasn't close to Cosmo. If she hadn't…died…I probably would have never thought of her as anything but your friend and Tails' girl. But now…I can't stop remembing how she begged me to help her. I was so sure of myself, Amy! Even though Dark Oak had already beaten me once while I was Super Sonic!"

"Don't, Sonic!" Amy said, realizing he was crying. "Please don't!"

"I don't want to do this anymore, Amy!" Sonic said. "I don't want to be Sonic the Hedgehog anymore! I want my old, boring life back! I want my dad changed back to flesh and blood! I want my little sister to follow me around, annoying me again! And your mom and dad! I'm sorry I never found them for you!"

"It's okay," Amy said. "Shh. We all want our old lives back. We all do."

_Mother! Cosmo's boy is losing his mind! We have to tell her!_

_No, we don't._

_But, Mother…!_

_This has to be her choice. You know that! We cannot interfere!_

_But…!_

_Galaxina, do you trust me?_

_Yes, Mother! Always!_

Whew! Longest chapter I've ever written! I doubt I'll write another like this. Originally, this chapter was supposed to start when Tails started his swimming lesson. I decided that chapter was getting too long, but this one kind of got away from me!


	13. Chapter 13: Tails and Cream?

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Thirteen

"Tails and Cream?"

Tails flew over the sea. He was heading towards a little island he'd come across last year. When he started his nightly walks, he decided it would be a good place for him to go to think. He was too shook up to notice Cream following him. She was about to catch up to him, but her strength was ebbing. Although much stronger than him, Cream couldn't stay in the air as long. This suggested more to Tails' ability to fly than he knew, but the fox was in no mood to think of such things. The protective barriers he had set up in his mind to deal with what he'd done had been shattered by Amy's attempts to help him. In effect, she had picked at a half-formed scab, and reopened a gaping wound. Of course he knew Cosmo was dead! And he knew why!

Cream chewed on her lower lip. She had called and called to him, but he had ignored her. Cosmo's death had hit her hard too. If she lost Tails…No! She _wouldn't_ lose Tails! Never! She had to do something. She struggled to think. Thinking had never been her strongest skill. She had always left that up to Tails and the others. The only people who had ever asked her opinion of something had been Cheese and Cosmo.

"Come on, brain, think!" she scolded herself. It would be easier if her ears weren't flapping up and down. The motion was distracting.

"Chao chao!" Cheese cried.

"I know you're tired, Cheese," Cream said. "I'm tired too. Please, go back. I have to make sure Tails is all right!'

"Chao chao!" There was no way Cheese was going to leave her!

"Tails!" she shouted. "Please, Tails! I know Amy hurt you, but she didn't mean to! Please come back!"

Tails swerved in an attempt to lose her. "Go away, Cream!" I don't want to talk to anybody! I-I'm just no good! Hanging around me might get you hurt!"

Cream sobbed. "It's not good for you to be alone now!" she cried. She realized her usual childish pep talks wouldn't work in this case. She'd talk about Cheese, or offer people flowers. But Tails knew Cheese, and flowers would just remind him of Cosmo. She didn't know what to do. When she'd asked her mother how she could help him to feel better, Vanilla had just sighed and said, "Sometimes, all we can do is let people we care about know that we're there for them." She had never really realized that there were problems her mother couldn't fix. When Cosmo had found out that she was a spy for the Metarex, she had stopped eating. Stopped sleeping. Stopped talking and smiling. Tails had helped her through that. But now, he was acting the same way, and she wasn't there to help him.

"You promised you'd always be there for him, Cosmo!" Cream thought. "Liar!"

"Tails, please!" Cream sobbed. "I'm getting tired! Please! Where are you going?" She gasped. Was he going to…kill himself?!?

"Go back, Cream!" Tails shouted. "Please! I-I don't want you to see me cry!" He tried to calculate a way to get rid of Cream without her seeing where his island was. It was difficult to spot it unless you knew what you were looking for. He didn't want people to know about it. He hadn't even told Sonic. It was a place he went to be alone.

"Tails!" Cream shrieked. "I can't…" She screamed. "My ear! Tails, help me!"

Tails looked back over his shoulder. "Cream, if you're having trouble, then…" He froze as he watched her left ear shake violently. It stopped flapping. A moment later, the right ear gave out. She plunged towards the water, letting out a long, haunting scream.

"Cream!" Cheese cried.

"No!" Tails cried. He tried to catch her, but she hit the water with a huge splash. And she didn't come back up!

"Cream!" Tails cried, diving into the water. He couldn't see her. "Cream! Cream, where are you?" He started to panic. Then he spotted an ear breaking the surface. It sank. He dived and caught her by the waist. He swam to the surface, then checked her vitals. Her heart was beating, but she wasn't breathing.

"No!" he screamed. "Not again!" He gave her CPR. Nothing happened for a minute, and he was terrified. Cheese clung to her and cried. "Come on! Come on! Don't you leave me too!" Cream suddenly choked up water right in Tails' mouth, then started coughing. He held her close, sobbing. "Thank you! Thank you, God! Please, don't take her too!"

"Chao chao!" Cheese sobbed.

"Ta…koff! koff!…Tails…"

"Don't try to talk, Cream," Tails said. He took her hand in his. He and Sonic had developed a series of signals in case one or both of them couldn't talk. While on Earth, Tails had learned sign language, but hadn't taught it to anyone. "Can you breath?" he asked. "Squeeze my hand twice if you think you're okay."

She squeezed twice. He hugged her. He could feel her heart pounding, and assumed it was because she was so scared. It didn't occur to him that she had just realized he was holding her.

Tails realized there was no way he could keep the island a secret now. He'd just have to get Cream and Cheese to promise not to tell anyone about it. Once Amy found out, the whole town would know. He spun his tails, and carried Cream to the little island. It was about ten acres in size, surrounded by water lilies. By the time he landed and set her down, she was breathing a lot easier.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I am now," she said. "Thank you, Tails!" She threw her arms around him, much like Amy threw her arms around Sonic all the time.

Tails was shocked. "It's okay!" he said. "Don't be scared. It's all over."

"He doesn't understand!" Cream thought. "He thinks I'm just being grateful! If Amy feels like this, no wonder she screams all the time!" She blushed and let him go. She realized he would have done the same if it had been Amy or Sonic. She started crying.

Tails patted her on the back. "It's okay," he said again. "I won't let anything happen to you. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get home safely. I'm so sorry, Cream. I never wanted to hurt you. You're just like a sister to me."

That made her cry harder. Tails didn't know what to do. He went to the edge of the island, picked a couple of water lilies, and brought them to her. "Um, here," he said.

"Th-thank you, Tails," Cream said. She looked around. "This place is beautiful."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I come here to be alone. Please don't tell anybody about this place. You're the only one that knows it's here."

Cream held up her hand. "We promise, don't we, Cheese?"

"Promise!" Cheese said.

"Please don't let Cheese say anything to Amy about this place," Tails said. "She'll tell everybody she knows!"

"Cheese doesn't really talk much except to me," Cream said.

Tails checked her breathing one last time. She seemed fine now, but her heart was still pounding awfully fast. He hoped that didn't mean anything.

"Does it still hurt?" Tails asked. "Losing Emerl?"

"Not as often," Cream admitted. "But the pain never goes away. I'm sorry, Tails. I wish I could tell you it will eventually. But it's been over a year, and I can still hear the crack when I broke something on him, and he fell into the ocean. You can go days, weeks even, without it bothering you. Then you'll remember something. Some little thing. A smell. A word. Some little thing they did. And the pain hits you again. I'm sorry! I'm supposed to be cheering you up! But I don't want to lie to you."

"No, I'm sorry, Cream," Tails said. "You're my best friend, except for Sonic, and I've hurt you! And I have to deal with what I did to Cosmo on my own." He took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. "But thank you for never giving up on me."

"Just don't give up on yourself, Miles Prower," Cream said, squeezing back.

Tails fought the urge to make a face. Cream's grip was awfully strong.

"Tails?" Cream said. "I've never met your parents. Why aren't they here?"

"Mom and Dad disappeared when I was little," Tails said. "When I finally found them again, I knew who they were but…but so much time had passed. It was hard to reconnect with them. Mom treats me like a little kid. And Dad thinks any problem can be solved with push-ups. They said they needed to find something important months ago, and I've only heard from them a few times. They never did tell me what they're looking for."

"That's so sad," Cream said. "I still get the feeling my daddy's around. That he's watching me and Mom. I like to think that he and Emerl are together now. I know that Cosmo and Emerl will get along great!"

"Yeah," Tails said. He didn't have the heart to tell her that Emerl might not have a hereafter. That he might have simply ceased to exist when Cream broke him. No, he could never tell her that.

"I'm sorry," Cream said. "You must think I'm silly."

"No," Tails said, skipping a stone. "You've done a lot of growing up lately. I feel like I can talk to you about just about anything."

"Talk to me about love," Cream said to herself. Tails' response nearly made her think he'd heard her.

"Cosmo wants me to move on," Tails said, skipping another stone across the water. "But how do I do that? How can I love somebody else when I still love her? Would that be fair to Cosmo? To the other girl?"

"Do you--do you have another girl in mind?" Cream asked, thinking of Debbie.

"What? No, I'm just saying," Tails said, skipping a third stone. "Wouldn't I be cheating on one of them? Maybe both, like Knuckles with Julie-Su and Rouge?"

Cream sighed. "I don't know, Tails," she said, skipping a stone herself. "I never even thought about this kind of stuff before. I'm afraid it's all beyond me." She looked into his blue eyes. "I'm afraid my poor little brain just isn't very bright."

"Cream, no!" Tails said, patting her on the shoulder, completely missing the shiver that went through her when he did. "You shouldn't put yourself down. You're a great friend. And you're very smart."

"Not compared to you," Cream said, looking at her feet. Cosmo had had dainty ballerina feet. Cream's feet seemed big and weird to her in comparison. "Cosmo thought she wasn't very smart, but to get here, she must have done some, what do you call it? Geo-geom…"

"Geometry," Tails said. "Yeah, she was always putting herself down. I guess she blamed herself for not being able to save any of her sisters or friends." He skipped another stone. "Of course, there was nothing she could have done must have been terrified, finding out that everyone that she cared about was gone. She was all alone."  
"No, not for long," Cream said. Talking about Cosmo wouldn't get her Tails, but at least it would get him to talk to her. "She had friends, a family, again. Amy was her new big sister. I was her little sister. You know, she'd always wanted one. But her mother couldn't have any more children. How sad, how scary it must have been. For her to realize she was the last of her people. That there would never be any more. And then, she found out that there _were _a few left, but they were all monsters out to get her! If it had been me, I--I don't know what I would have done! Probably crawled under something and cried until I went crazy. She was so brave."

"Yeah, she was," Tails agreed. He sighed. "If--if she had come back with us, what would have happened to her? Fighting the Metarex was what kept her going. What would she have done when she realized she was still alone? That his victims weren't coming back?"

"I don't think she ever really let herself think about that," Cream said, skipping another stone. "She just made herself keep going. Sometimes I'd look into her eyes. They were so tired. I-I see that in your eyes now, Tails. Cosmo hated herself for being that way. She wouldn't want you to live like that." She sighed. "My mom would have taken her in, of course. But she'd still be sad about her sisters. If only--if only they'd been captured instead of…But if they were, Dark Oak would have brought them out and used them to threaten Cosmo, wouldn't he?"

"Yeah," Tails said. "Yeah, he would have." He sighed again.

"It would have been so wonderful, if Cosmo had been okay, and we had found and freed her sisters, and they could all have one big happy ending." She looked at her feet again. "But I've learned not to hope for those big happy endings."

"I'm sorry, Cream," Tails said. "I wish I could help you to keep believing. I wish you could stay innocent forever."

"But if I did, I wouldn't have feelings like this for you," she thought. "It's all right," she said, patting his hand. "So…what are you going to do with your island?"

"I wouldn't exactly consider it my island," Tails said. "And I haven't really thought about it. I-I was going to bring Cosmo here, but…"

Cream sighed again. Every conversation came back to Cosmo. She took his hand. Neither of them were wearing gloves. They both had moist hands. It was the reason most Mobians wore gloves.

As they walked, it suddenly occurred to Tails that he had never held Cosmo's hand without gloves on. He had never actually felt the touch of her hand in his. Why? Because he was afraid she'd notice how wet his palms were, and be grossed out? How childish he had been! Cream wasn't the only one that had done some growing up.

There were tiny seashells all around the island's edge. Further in, grass grew. The water lilies were replaced by other types of flowers, most of them white or orange. Near the center stood a tent. It looked like it had been rained on a lot, and the green fabric was faded from the sun.

"I set this up maybe a week before we met Cosmo," Tails said softly, noticing Cream was staring. "I always planned to come back here. Show her around. But…it just wasn't meant to be." He crouched down on his heels beside the tent. He fumbled with the zipper. It was badly rusted. Inside was a sleeping bag, a science fiction book, and a few cooking utensils. Cream picked up a spoon. It said, "Made in Japan."

"Tails?" she said. "Mobius and Earth…are they the…the same planet?"

Tails gasped. "You know?"

"I was thinking about it," she said. "There were too many things alike in both worlds. So, this is…was, Japan we're in now?"

"Yeah," Tails said. "In fact, this was once the capital, Tokyo. A very, very long time ago."

Cream thought about this. "Then Chris and Frances and Helen and Ella and…everybody we knew there is…" She couldn't finish the thought, and Tails didn't finish it for her.

"Earth became Mobius many, many years ago, Cream," he said softly, patting her hand. "Sonic's first chaos control somehow sent us back through time."

"Did Chris or Grandpa Chuck know?" Cream asked, picking up another fork.

"No," Tails said. "I would never have told them that." He picked up a spoon. Man, he was sloppy!

"So those foxes and hedgehogs and bunnies we saw on Earth were…our ancestors?" Cream asked, picking up a straw.

"I guess so," Tails said. "Weird, huh?" He shook out his sleeping bag, scattering moldy pieces of food onto the floor. He rolled the bag up, then started helping Cream pick everything up. "I'm sorry I've been such a pig," he said.

"It's just like Amy says," Cream thought as she worked. "Boys need girls to clean up after them. Can't you see what a good housekeeper I'd be, Tails? I wouldn't ask for much. A pat on the head once in a while. A kind word. Little things mean a lot." Out loud, she only said, "I don't mind. I--I like you, Tails. I really, really like you!" She blushed and looked away.

"So…how's your ear?" Tails asked.

"Huh?" Cream said. "Oh, right. My ear." Actually, there had been nothing wrong with it. Cream had faked her accident, hoping Tails would come to her rescue. But she'd hit the water much harder than she had thought, then blacked out. If Tails _hadn't_ dived in after her, she realized she would have died. "What would Mommy have done?" she wondered. "How would Cheese have felt, watching me die? And Tails! That would have killed him! I can't ever do anything that stupid again!" She started crying.

"Hey," Tails said, patting her on the back. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"I almost died just now!" Cream sobbed, throwing her arms around him.

"It's okay," Tails said, hugging her back. "It's okay. Big brother is here for you."

"I don't want you to be my brother!" Cream whispered.

"What?" Tails asked.

"Nothing," Cream said, biting her lip. In her mind, however, she was thinking, "I know you love Cosmo, but she's not here, and I am!" But she didn't dare say that to him. If he thought she was going to start chasing him, like Amy chased Sonic, he'd start coming up with excuses to not be around when she went to see him. She didn't want him to avoid her.

"Thank you for saving me!" Cream sobbed. Then, impulsively, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh my gosh!" Tails thought. "I completely forgot! Cream's been getting a crush on me! Have I been leading her on? When I gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, did she think I was kissing her?" Deep down, a little voice whispered, "Cosmo would have approved of the two of you." But he pushed that away. Cream was his friend. A relationship with any girl other than Cosmo would only end up hurting both of them. He didn't want Cream angry and bitter like Amy was. He couldn't do that to her.

"Do you feel up to flying back to shore?" Tails asked.

"I--I guess so," Cream said.

"You go ahead, so I can keep watch and make sure you're okay," Tails said.

Too late, Cream realized that if she'd said no, Tails would probably have carried her back. She remembered Amy saying the most wonderful feeling in the world was Sonic holding her while he ran. Cream would have loved to have had Tails carry her. But she'd blown it!

"Cream?" Tails said as they prepared for lift off. "Could you do something for me please?"

"Sure!" Cream said, her heart missing a beat.

But all Tails said was, "If you hear about Amy planning another blind date, will you please warn me?"

Cream sighed. "Yes, Tails, I'll warn you. I don't want Amy setting you up on any more blind dates either." "I want you all to myself!" she thought. "Somehow, someway, I'll get you to notice me, Miles Prower!"

"Look!" Amy cried, pointing. "They're coming back! Cream must have gotten through to him!"

"Thank goodness!" Sonic said. "I was just about to get the X-Tornado and go after them!"

The two of them were alone. Rouge have flown off, leaving a furious Julie-Su to drag Knuckles across the sands by one foot. When he complained that she was getting sand in his face, she kicked him. After that, he was quieter.

Actually, one other pair of eyes _were _watching them. They belonged to Bokkun. "He's so tall and good-looking and blond!" Bokkun sobbed. "What chance do I have with her?" He flew off, crying.

"How you holding up, Cream?" Tails asked as they approached the shore.

"I'm fine!" Cream said. "Uh, I mean…so far, so good!" She hated lying to him, but she didn't want him to think that she was a…a conniving woman like, well, like Rouge, she guessed.

"I'm so sorry," Tails said. "I didn't mean to hurt you! But you can see why I don't want to get close to people. I always hurt the people I love. My parents are disappointed in me. My brother keeps running off to leave me. And Cosmo…look what I did to her!" He had to chase Cream off. He would never forgive himself if he hurt her. "Cream, go away, I'm no good for you!"

When they landed, Amy grabbed Tails. "I'm sorry, Tails! I'm so sorry I hurt you!"

"Just don't set me up with anymore blind dates, okay?" Tails asked, trying to pry himself loose.

"I promise I'll make things up to you," Amy went on, still hugging him. "You just wait and see! You're so warm and soft and fuzzy! I'll bet there are a million girls that would like to go out with you?"

"She's not listening, is she, Sonic?" Tails asked helplessly.

"Nope," Sonic said. "How you doing, buddy?"

"I'm…getting by," Tails said. "I'm worried about Cream, though. She fell into the ocean, and I had to give her CPR!"

"What?!?" Amy cried, hugging Cream. "Are you okay, baby?"

"I'm not a baby, Amy!" Cream said. "I'm fine. Tails saved me!"

Amy and Tails walked Cream home. Amy invited Sonic along, but he took off. He didn't trust her to behave herself.

"Miles!" That was his brother. "Miles, are you okay?"

"Are you still hanging around?" Amy demanded. "Tails is just fine, no thanks to you!"

"Aw, you're gonna have people thinking you don't like me," Sanguine said.

"I hate you!" Amy yelled. "Stop following us!"

"I'm just going for a walk with my little brother," Sanguine said.

"Amy, that's not nice," Cream said. "And Mister Sanguine, you shouldn't be so mean to Amy! She's one of your brother's best friends!"

"Amy and I have a complicated relationship," Sanguine said.

"We don't have a relationship!" Amy shrieked. "You're just a useless, pathetic clown. Except you're not even funny!"

Sanguine's face fell for a moment. "You used to think I was funny."

"I was just trying to make Sonic jealous!" Amy insisted. "I never liked you!"

Tails and Cream looked at each other. Here was a story to be told, but it seemed neither Amy not Sanguine were likely to tell it.

"Did you enjoy your trip to the beach?" Vanilla asked.

"It was very…enlightening," Cream said. Everyone stared. Cream usually didn't use words like that. No one knew that she'd been studying to try to impress Tails.

"I don't want to worry you," Tails said softly to Cream's mother. "But Cream had a little accident. She was flying when her ear gave way. She fell into the sea. I'm sure she's okay, but…I had to give her CPR."

"Oh no!" Vanilla cried, hugging her daughter. "My baby!"

"I'm fine now, Mom!" Cream said, blushing. She suddenly felt embarrassed by her mother making a big deal about her in front of her friends. Vanilla excused herself, then dragged Cream into her bedroom, where she examined her ears, checked her pulse, listened to her heart, then started rubbing ointment onto her ears.

"Mom, please!" Cream begged. "Stop fussing over me! How long are you going to keep treating me like a little girl?"

"You'll be my little girl even when you're old and gray, honey," Vanilla said. "Cream? When did you get a bikini? I know _I_ didn't buy it for you!"

Cream blushed. "Uhh…"

"Oh," Vanilla said. "Ohh…" she hugged Cream tight. "My little baby's starting growing up! But not too soon, okay? Mommy's not ready to let you go yet!"

"Mommm!" Cream said. "You're embarrassing me!"

"No I'm not!" Vanilla said.

"Please, Mom, my friends will think I'm a little kid!" Cream looked up to see Amy watching. She looked away. "Don't laugh, Amy!"

"I wouldn't think of it," Amy said. "I wish…" She didn't finish the thought. It had been more than three years since she'd last seen her parents.

"Why don't we give the boys some tea, then, when they go home, we can have a nice long chat, just the three of us?" Vanilla asked.

"Chao?" Cheese asked.

"Sorry, just the four of us!"

_Mother! That little girl is after Cosmo's boy! We simply have to tell her!_

_No, you will say nothing, Galaxina. What will be will be._

_But she's not happy, Mother! You know she's not!_

_It is not for you or I to say. We must trust her. She is no longer the simple child that you gave piggyback rides to. If we do not believe in her, how will she ever learn to believe in herself._

_Yes, Mother._


	14. Chapter 14: More Trouble Ahead

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Fourteen

"More Trouble Ahead"

"Hey, Amy!" Vector said the next day when he met Amy at the supermarket. While Amy was buying mostly healthy food (except for chocolate, Amy's second vice after Sonic,) Vector's cart was full of junk food.

"Your teeth are going to fall out!" Amy said, looking at about ten packages of donuts, nutty bars, and cinnamon rolls, not to mention about three or four times as many candy bars.

"Aw, I got a lot more than most people!" Vector said. "You know, I don't really bite, I saw."

"What did you see?" Charmy asked, dropping a big package of taffy into Vector's cart.

"What are you talking about, Charmy?" Vector demanded.

"You said 'I saw,'" Charmy explained. "So what did you see?"

"Well I…" he realized he couldn't remember what he was talking about. "Don't confuse me with unnecessary details!"

"Hahahahaha! You're so funny, Vector!"

"Well, I try, I…Hey! Shut up!"

"I'll see you two clowns around," Amy said. She started to push her cart past Vector's, but he turned his sideways to block her way. "What's the deal, Vector?!"

"I hear you set Tails up with a blind date yesterday to help him get over that poor little green girl," Vector said. "But it didn't work out."

"I guess it was a little too soon," Amy admitted. "I'll try again after he's had more of a chance to heal."

But Vector wasn't really listening. "He really loved that poor li'l flower gal, didn't he? Well, that's not surprising. I set them up, you know!"

"You?!?" Amy demanded. "_I_ set them up!" She folded her arms. "It was all so tragically romantic! A sad love story for the ages!"

"Hey, now wait just a minute, missy!" Vector said. "I set them up at that party long before you dunked them in that river! _I_ started their romance!"

"Oh, please," Amy said, "I was nudging them towards each other before you even met Cosmo!"

"But I was the one that made them fall in love!" Vector yelled.

"In your dreams, tall, dark, and gruesome!" Amy yelled back.

"Hey, hey!" the store manager yelled, hurrying over to them. "You two again! You're both bad enough by yourselves! I hear anything more from either one of you and you're both banned from this store!"

As the manager worked away, Amy and Vector both pulled down an eyelid and stuck their tongues out at him. "Who does that guy think he is?" Vector demanded.

"I know!" Amy said. "The public pays his salary, and we're the public! Throw us out, huh? But if one of Eggman's robots steps on his precious store, who's he going to come crying to for help, huh? Me and Sonic!" She flicked one of her quills over her shoulder.

"So," Charmy said as they were leaving the store, "who set up Tails and Cosmo?" Charmy could be extremely annoying when he put his mind to it.

"_I _did!" Amy and Vector both yelled.

"They got together because of me!" Vector insisted. "I'm a great matchmaker! Just like I'm a great detective!"

"In your dreams!" Amy yelled. "You'd make a lousy matchmaker! Just like you make a lousy detective!"

"Oh yeah?" Vector cried.

"Nice come back," Charmy said, still egging Vector on.

"You wouldn't know if somebody was right for somebody else if your life depended on it!" Amy yelled.

"Oh yeah?" Vector cried.

"You already said that," Charmy pointed out.

"Quiet, Charmy!" Vector said. "I set Tails up with Cosmo, and I can set him up with another girl a lot faster than you could!"  
"Hah!" Amy cried, poking Vector in the stomach. " I could have him going steady with another girl before you could even get somebody to go out with him!"

"Is that a bet?" Vector asked. "'Cause I can't resist a bet! You're on, lady!"

"Then it's a bet!" Amy yelled.

"Fine!" Vector said. "If I win, you have to clean up my detective agency!"

"Lotsa luck!" Charmy said. "It's a real pig pen! Vector is an incredible slob!"

"Shut up, Charmy!"

"You're on!" Amy said. "If I win, you have to clean my house. In a dress!"

"Oh boy!" Charmy cried. "YouTube here we come!"

"I'm warning you, Charmy!" Vector cried. "When I win, you have to kiss Sonic! While dressed like he is! And you know what Sonic usually wears!"

"Yeah?" Amy shrieked. "Well when I win, you have to fight Eggman while wearing a pink tutu and ballet slippers!"

"You're on!"

"Good!"

"Oh boy!" Charmy cried. "A million hits, easy! I'll be a world famous director!"

"Shut up, Charmy!" Vector and Amy both yelled.

At home, Tails suddenly sneezed. "Huh. Wonder why that happened? Amy says when somebody sneezes once for no reason, it's because somebody's talking about them. But that's silly."

Tails had no idea how much trouble that sneeze signified. For him, or for Amy.

Tails sighed as he went down to the Blue Typhoon. He had completely removed any sign that the Sonic Driver was ever there. It was the first time he'd really come down here since he'd felt Cosmo's departing spirit. He was surprised that he had come down there right after what Amy had done to him yesterday. But he had to make sure the Driver was completely gone. He didn't want to accidentally see it if he ever needed to use the space cruiser again.

"Guess I'll…check the life support system," he decided. He remembered how he built a tiny device that allowed anyone wearing it to breath in space and survive in a vacuum. He had offered given one to all of his friends, but Chris had insisted on using his space suit. Tails had been hurt. Eggman had sent Bokkun to steal one, then made copies that he'd given to Rouge and Shadow. Eggman had also insisted on wearing a space suit. Hadn't trusted Tails' device. Tails didn't care about Eggman, but it had galled him that Chris had refused to use it. He'd made an excuse that he wanted to use his suit because Helen had liked it, but Tails had known that the human hadn't trusted Tails' machine. He remembered when he'd given one to Cosmo, she had nodded and said, "My sister, Galaxina, had something like this. It was larger and heavier, though. Um, how do I put this on?" Yeah, Cosmo had always trusted him. He had fastened it to her sleeve. It was the first time he had ever touched her hand. He knew he was blushing, because she'd said, "Tails? Are you all right? Your face is so red!"

Even then, he'd known that she was important to him. Was it his fault she was gone? When he'd first seen the shooting stars, he'd wished on a star that he could have a girl that would love him, just for a little while. Was that what had happened? He'd only asked for her for a little while, and that was all he got, a little while? "It wasn't enough! I want more time! I WANT MORE TIME!!!" But if anyone heard him, they gave him no reply.

Tails looked over the main bridge. It was a total loss. He'd have to completely rebuild it. Well, working helped keep him from thinking too much. Fixing the Blue Typhoon might help him.

Tails made a complete inventory of the ship. Last of all, he found himself standing in front of the one room he'd avoided. Cosmo's room. It was thick with dust. He went to the still untouched bed. He sniffed the pillow and blanket. The scent was so faint now, that even his keen sense of smell could barely detect it. "I'm losing you again!" he sobbed. "I'm losing your scent. The sound of your voice. Your laugh. The sparkle in your beautiful blue eyes. Please, Cosmo! Please let me at least hold on to your memory!"

Sonic knocked on Tails' front door. When there was no answer, he jimmied the lock. He'd have to insist that Tails give him a key. He shouldn't be alone now, and with that brother of his around, Tails was practically alone. Sure enough, he found Sanguine snoring away on the couch, and no sign of Tails. Search of the house didn't produce Tails, but Sonic knew he'd be coming back. Tails had left his plant. He'd also left a locked spare bedroom. Sonic tried to open it, but the lock was pretty complicated. It would take time, and Sonic wasn't that great at picking locks. That was something he usually left for Tails to do.

Sonic went back to Cosmo's plant. "Cosmo?" he asked softly. "Is that you? He sat down carefully in front of the flower pot. If he harmed the last part of Cosmo Tails still had left, he'd never forgive himself. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry I…hit you." He couldn't bring himself to say that he'd killed her. "I tried to bring you back. But I was so exhausted, and…and I don't really know how my powers work. I never bothered to really run tests. I beat everybody I ran into, except Dark Oak. That should have told me to work harder at it. We were in space for months. I should have figured something out. Should have practiced with all those fake emeralds the Metarex made. Maybe if I had, I'd've been able to stop Oak without…hurting you." He sighed. "I really thought, when I saw that flash, that I'd saved you. That I'd made it right. I know you missed your mom and sisters. I have a little sister about your age. I haven't seen her in more than three years. If…if you see her where you are, give her a hug from her big brother, okay?" He shook his head. "Cosmo, I…I know you don't want to come back, but I don't think Tails is going to make it if you don't."

There was, of course, no response from the tiny plant. Sonic hadn't thought there'd be one, but he had to try. People in comas could sometimes hear people talking to them. Of course, there was a big difference between being in a coma and being dead or a tiny seedling. But…he couldn't say definitely that it was impossible. He got up carefully. "I'll…I'll see you around, Cosmo." He went back to the living room.

"Miles is down working on his spaceship," Sanguine said. "I don't know what that little bunny girl said to him, but she seems to have undone most of the damage your crazy girlfriend caused."

"She's not my girlfriend," Sonic said. "Or crazy, either. She was only trying to help."

"If Miles hurts himself, will Amy just trying to help make it better?" Sanguine demanded. "Did your not meaning to kill Cosmo bring her back?"

"One more word, and I'll knock you into the wall," Sonic said in a cold, quiet voice. "It's still possible that she might come back. Can you prove that she won't?"

"You're betting my brother 's sanity on the hope that somehow, without knowing what you were doing, you somehow made a tiny seed able to turn into a little dead girl." Sanguine said.

It did sound crazy when put that way. "It wasn't just me," Sonic said. "I had Shadow's help. And it seemed like…like someone else was helping." He glared at the fox. "But that's none of your business! I didn't see you helping us fight the Metarex! And I don't have to answer to you. In fact, you can disappear again, like you always do. I just asked your uncle Merlin to call in your folks. They'll be here soon."

"Well, that should fix everything," Sanguine said. "You don't have to take care of him anymore, so you can go."  
"You are on my last nerve!" Sonic said, gritting his teeth.

"Oh sure," Sanguine said, "you're pretty brave for a guy with super powers."

"I don't need super powers to knock your teeth out!" Sonic said. "Which I'll be more than happy to do for you if you say just one more word!"

"Sonic! Simon! Stop it, both of you!" They spun to see Tails staring at them in horror. "I won't have anyone that matters to me fighting! If you have pound each other's faces in, then get out of my house!"

"You'd just better not hurt him again," Sonic warned. He said good-bye to Tails, then left.

"Don't say anything," Tails said. "You are my brother, but Sonic is my brother just as much as you are.

"Do you want me to leave?" Sanguine asked.

"I…I need to sit down," Tails said, collapsing onto the couch. "Please, Simon. Stop it. I don't want to see people I care about angry with each other."

"Sonic says Mom and Dad will be here soon," Sanguine said. "I hope they can help, Miles."

"They can't bring Cosmo back either," Tails said. "I just…just want us to be like a regular, normal family. Will you try?"

"I'll do my best," Sanguine said, "but the general and I don't exactly see eye to eye about, well, anything, really."

"Tails sighed. "After I'm through resting up a bit, I'm going back to work on the Typhoon some more."

"Are you planning to go back into space again?" his brother asked.

"I don't know," Tails said. "If that's Cosmo, she'll want to see her home planet. If it's her child, the baby will want to see home someday. That's why I'm keeping the Blue Typhoon fixed up. I don't want to go down there in six or seven years, and find that everything's rusted away."

"How do you think Seedrians heard?" Sanguine asked. "I mean, they had flowers growing out of their ears, right?"

"Don't mess with my head!" Tails moaned.

"You sound like Mom," Sanguine said.

When Tails felt up to it, he started back towards the Typhoon.

"Can I…help?" Sanguine asked his brother.

"Do you know anything about mechanical engineering?" Tails asked.

"Uh…well, I know that hammers hit things, and wrenches and screwdrivers spin things around…"

"I'll call you if I need something spun around," Tails said, rolling his eyes. He went into his pantry. He opened a cupboard, pressed a button. The wall of the cupboard opened up. He crawled through a dark tunnel until he finally came out by the Blue Typhoon. He had been a nut about secret passages last year. There were ways to the Typhoon under his bed and his brother's bed. There was another, of course, behind the bookcase in his study. Then there was the secret passage he'd never told anyone about. "Note to self: stop making secret passageways!"

Tails went over the smaller vehicles. Amy's was in tiptop shape. Cream's needed a slight paint job. Knuckles' had a big dent in it from when Knuckles had been frustrated trying to pilot the thing and had given it a punch, yelling, "This'll teach you to work when I tell you to!" Cosmo's vehicle was unused. He had built it for her while they were in space, and had offered to teach her how to fly it. Unfortunately, a few days later, she'd found out she was a spy for the Metarex, and hadn't wanted anything to do with it.

"If you show me how to pilot it, they'll know too!" She had sobbed. It had turned out that her escape capsule had pretty much been on automatic. She'd had only the vaguest idea of how it had worked, which was why it had crashed. No one had taught her how to land.

"I didn't make it for Dark Oak!" Tails said. "I made it for you, Cosmo!"

"I don't deserve it!" she had sobbed. "I'm no good! You should have let me leave, Tails! I'm just a bother to you!"

Tails had always wondered if Cosmo had planned to flee the Metarex that day, or if her intention was really to kill herself somewhere in space, and hadn't wanted Tails or Cream to find her body.

"But what about…us?" Tails had asked, blushing.

"There is no us!" Cosmo had sobbed. "There can never be an us! You're going to get killed because of me! Just like I probably got that friend of Shadow's killed!"

"You never even met that girl!" Tails pointed out. Had Shadow been falling for this Molly? Was that why he had wanted to kill Cosmo? It wasn't her fault! He should have gone after Pale Bay Leaf. Maybe, if Dark Oak had been alone the entire final battle, he might not have been powerful enough for Cosmo to need to sacrifice herself.

"That doesn't bring her back!" Cosmo had said. "It doesn't bring back Galaxina, or…"

"Don't!" Tails had said, putting his arm around her. "You couldn't have saved anyone."

"I saved myself!" Cosmo said. "I'm a coward! I should have died with everyone else!"

"No!" Tails cried. "Don't say that! Cosmo, I-I-I l-l…"

"NO!!" Cosmo screamed, pulling free of him. "I can't be anything special to you!" She ran off to her room. And, like an idiot, Tails hadn't gone after her. Hadn't reassured her. He sighed. Reassured her of what, though? That everything would be all right? It wasn't. Never would be. He would have just been lying to her.

"I'm sorry, Cosmo!" Tails said to her jet. "I tried to tell you how I felt too late! You--you probably just thought I was feeling sorry for you! Oh, Cosmo! I left you nothing for you to want to come back to!"

Once he got himself back under control, he started fine tuning her jet. She'd never get to use it, but he'd keep it in perfect working order. Just in case.

Since he'd taken out all of the guns, he'd decided they needed more speed and maneuverability. He'd finished installing a sledgehammer attachment to Amy's, a boxing glove to Knuckles', and a spider web-like net for Cream's. He still hadn't come up with appropriate weapons for Cosmo's or Sonic's. Maybe they weren't good weapons, but they didn't really need them against Eggman. After the Metarex, the fat man no longer seemed so dangerous. He was like a pathetic clown now, in Tail's mind.

Pathetic. Like him. Like Cosmo. Born on a metallic ship. Forced to live on manufactured light and recycled water. A plant needed real sunlight and fresh water. Needed to feel the wind blow. She had been so fascinated by wind. By rain. Snow. He remembered the time Amy had pulled her in out of the pouring rain. "What's the matter, Amy?" Cosmo had asked, soaking wet.

"What are you trying to do, get pneumonia?" Amy had demanded. She'd dragged her off and made her change into one of Amy's dresses. It had been much too big for her, but Tails had found Cosmo wearing red to be startling. Red and green clashed, so she really stood out in it.

Tails remembered how he'd been treated on Earth. Like a freak. Would that have been Cosmo's life here? Sure, she could have covered her flowers, pretended she wasn't a plant. But that would have been denying who she was. The Marumorans had admitted to Cosmo that they would have given her the chaos emerald they'd found if she had asked for it. They didn't trust animals. Cosmo's sisters hadn't either. Wasn't that why Cosmo had refused to give her name at first? Why she'd jumped out of the X-Tornado when she saw Sonic, as if afraid that he wouldn't take her to him? How horrible to be so alone, among creatures you'd been warned your entire life would hurt you! And the ship had held only females. The last males had been cyborg monsters. So he was the first guy she'd ever seen, except for the Metarex. No wonder she'd ran from him! What kind of stories had her sisters told her about guys?

Tails shook his head. Someday, he'd have to go back into space, make sure the Marumorans were all right. And all of the other peoples hurt by the Metarex. Well, maybe not planet Breezy. He didn't want to be bounced around again.

Of course, there were no Seedrians to check on. They had been so proud. So haughty. Now they were completely gone. Except for the one in his flowerpot. Maybe, if they'd tried to get along with others, they wouldn't have been in the war that created the Metarex. The Cascadians had given in at the end. He wondered why they had been fighting the Seedrians in the first place. From Rouge's description of them, they didn't seem advanced enough for interstellar space travel. Had the Seedrians contacted them, gotten their technology, then turned against them? So many questions, and, now, no one to answer any of them. From what he'd learned about Dark Oak, the madman had been trying to protect his people from the Cascadians. Cosmo's mother, Hertia, had guessed that he might be her general, Lucas. Actually, from Hertia's film, Tails suspected she and Lucas had been closer than queen and warlord. How close, he didn't want to think It suggested something about Cosmo that had didn't want to think about. But, no, if that were true, then instead of making Cosmo his spy, he would have made her his little princess. Claimed that he was committing all of those atrocities for her. Asked her what she wanted. Cosmo would have wanted to fight for plant rights peacefully.

Tails finished his work, then started to clean up. The Marumorans. They had all those charms and magic spells. And that fortune teller. The one that had told Cosmo that her jumping into things without thinking would hurt her friends. She had thought it meant that she would do something stupid and hurt them physically. But he was sure now that it meant she would do something that would break their hearts. Again, this suggested there had been another way to stop Dark Oak. Why couldn't he find it? Why?

When Tails returned to his house, he found his brother reading comic books.

"You going to a costume party as a hobo?" Sanguine asked. "Or did something have an oil leak?"

"Oil pipe needed repairs," Tails said. "Thank you so much for pointing out I look a mess, onichan!"

"Any time, little brother," Sanguine said. "Hey, you were working on those little planes of yours, right? You ever think of having them stack together, transform into a giant robot?"

"One project at a time, bro," Tails said. "Isn't it enough that the X-Tornado transforms?"

"How about the Blue Typhoon?" Sanguine suggested. "Make a really big robot?"

"Seven impossible things to do before breakfast," Tails mumbled. "I'm going to clean up, then go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, Miles," Sanguine said. "Don't let the bedbugs bite. Oh, and I made tea if you need any."

"You made tea?" Tails said.

"Yeah, I have insomnia," Sanguine said.

"Sounds like it runs in the family," Tails said. "Good night."

Tails finished cleaning up, then went to his bedroom. It was nice, finally feeling a bond between him and his brother. Of course, he couldn't allow himself to get his hopes up. Sanguine could be gone in the morning without a word.

Tails blew a kiss to Cosmo's plant. "Good night, honey," he whispered. "I-I hope you don't mind me calling you that."

In bed, Tails looked up at the ceiling. "Is this the rest of my life?" he wondered. "Working every day until I'm ready to collapse, so that I'll be able to sleep, and, hopefully, not have any nightmares?" Tails shut his eyes and tried to think of the good times. Cosmo's smile when he helped her with that party. Her thanking him when he handed her her brooch after polishing it up for her. The time she'd fallen asleep talking to him on the Typhoon, and he'd used his tails as a pillow and blanket for her. If only he could have done that every night for the rest of his life. Even though he was exhausted, it was a long time before he could finally fall asleep.

_Is Tails all right? Is he doing better, oneesama?_

_He still misses you very much, little sister._

_Do you think he could have been…my one true love?_

_Do you?_

_Do it matter anymore? Our love is over. And it's for the best. I don't want to hurt him anymore._

_What about hurting yourself?_

_It doesn't matter. It can't. It's best for everyone._

_You care so much about what's best for others. But what about what's best for you?_

_What's best for Tails is what's best for me._

_But are you really sure what you're doing is best for him?_

_You know it is. You know why. I must protect him, and my friends, and those to come. No matter what it does to me._

_Even if it breaks his heart, little one? And your own?_

_He'll move on in time. He has to! And I no longer have a heart._

_Don't you?_

_Hearts hurt too much. Please, I need to do what I feel is right._

_I hope you know what you're doing, little sister._

_So do I, oneesama. So do I._


	15. Chapter 15: Painful Memories

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Fifteen

"Painful Memories"

The next morning, Tails tried to go back to his old routine. He had breakfast, checked to make sure the X-Tornado was in top working order, then called Sonic.

"How you doing, little buddy?" Sonic asked. "Do you need anything?"

Tails sighed. He wished his friends would stop treating him like he was made of glass. "I was just wondering if you've heard anything about Eggman?" Tails said. "Since he's up to old tricks again, we need to be watching out for him."

"Not a peep," Sonic said, "so he's probably back in his lair, going, 'I'll have to massage my noodle so I can come up with another of my ingenious schemes to build my Eggman Empire! Ho ho ho!"

"You know," Tails said, "if we ever stop him permanently, you should go into acting."

"Nah, too cutthroat," Sonic said. "I don't like dealing with crooks unless I'm fighting them."

"Good point," Tails said. "Listen, I'm going to be out for awhile. I have a few things I need to take care of today. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt myself or anything. I just want to talk to Princess Sally. Maybe we can do something when I get back."

"Sally?" Sonic said. "Well, give her my regards. Of course, you know I'll have to come looking for you if you're gone too long."

"Yes, Mother," Tails said.

A few minutes later, Tails came out of his room with a suitcase. He went into the living room, where he found his brother watching an old Earth movie.

"Simon?" he said. "I'm going to out for awhile. I'll see you around."

"Better watch out," Sanguine said. "I saw Rosie talking to that alligator, what's his name? They were talking about something at the market when I picked up donuts. Oh, that reminds me. Want one?"

"I'll pass," Tails said. Amy and Vector talking about something. He moaned. Amy and Vector had both fought over who had set him up with Cosmo. Now they were probably betting on who'd get him a new girlfriend! "Not more blind dates!" he said out loud. "Amy means well, but she could always drive me right up the wall, and that's easier to do now than it used to be."

"Would you like me to mail her someplace?" Sanguine asked. "Like, say, Mercia?"

"Onichan!" Tails cried. "No more crazy stuff! No more mailing Amy to Mercia…again! No more doodling on her face while she's asleep with a marker! Or putting her hand in a bowl of water! And no more sneaking into her kitchen and raiding her refrigerator! And all of that applies to Knuckles too!"

"Ah come on, Miles!" Sanguine said. "I may as well become a monk!"

Tails shook his head. "I'll see you," he said.

Tails carried his suitcase to the X-Tornado. He lifted off and headed towards the Acorn Palace. It was such a short time ago that he had taken Cosmo in the Tornado to see Sonic. Thinking of Cosmo on Mobius was weird. She had only been here a couple of days, and had been impatient the entire time to take off. He wished he had a nice memory of her time on his home planet, but all he could think of was pointing to a shooting star and saying. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes," Cosmo said. "And that is why I must get back up there. To make sure the heavens stay beautiful." She had been obsessive about fighting the Metarex then. It had taken a lot of time to get her to loosen up.

Tails daydreams were interrupted by a familiar voice over his plane's radio. "Attention, unidentified vehicle. You are approaching Castle Acorn. Identify yourself, or you will be fired upon. Oh, sorry. Good morning, Tails! I didn't recognize your plane at first. I haven't seen you for awhile. How may I be of service?"

"Good morning, Nicole," Tails said. "I'm just hear to talk to Princess Sally about a personal matter. I'm sorry, I should have contacted you. I-I've had some issues I've been dealing with lately."

"Yes, I've heard," the voice said. "And I'm very sorry, Tails! I hope you're feeling better. I'll ask Sally if she's free to speak with you. She's very busy these days, overseeing rebuilding of Mobotropolis."

"I don't want to impose," Tails said. ""But this has been gnawing away at me for awhile, and I'd like to finally do something constructive with my time."

"Thanks, Nicole," Tails said. "Am I free to land?"

"Certainly. Of course, you could probably override my circuits and land anyway. Did you actually build a working space cruiser? That's fantastic, I wish I could have gone with you. But Sally says I'm needed here at the palace."

"Uh, thanks," Tails said. He'd never cared much for praise, and it was upsetting to hear it now. "Actually, I used the Master Emerald to power it," he admitted. "We still have no idea just how powerful it is. I mean, it shattered out there in space, but Knuckles says it's regenerating." Regenerate. That word had been going over and over and over in his head for months now. "I-I wonder if--if it may even be capable of-of restoring life to the…" he couldn't finish.

The voice was also silent for a moment. "Tails!" Nicole said at last, "you can't be thinking of trying to use the Master Emerald to bring your friend back to life?!?"

Tails sighed as he put down his landing gear. "I guess I sound crazy, huh?" he asked.

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up," Nicole said. So she didn't think it was possible either.

Tails was met by Rotor. "How you doing, Tails?" the old walrus asked.

"I don't know," Tails said. "Some days are better than others."

"Things sure have changed, huh?" Rotor said as they headed towards the palace. "Remember when the Freedom Fighters were you and me, Sonic, Sally, Bunny, Antoine, and Darcy?"

"That seems like a whole other life ago," Tails said. "After Amy and Knuckles joined us, Bunny and Antoine got married, Darcy left because she was always getting him on the head, and Sally was worried about her getting brain damage. Then you retired, and Sally just…started helping us less and less."

"Well, she has a lot of responsibilities," Rotor said. "It isn't easy being a princess."

Cosmo was a princess, Tails remembered. She had never spoken about it, but her mother was queen. He wondered if she and Sally would have hit it off. "Nobody blames Sally for not joining us very often," Tails said. "As a princess, she really shouldn't be in the line of fire." Tails froze. A princess in the line of fire… No! He wouldn't cry in front of Rotor. He pretended he had something in his eye.

"You okay, Tails?" Rotor asked as they passed a statue of Knuckles' great-great-great grandfather.

"Sure," Tails lied. "Then we added Cream to our group. She's sort of a junior member, like I used to be, but she's been asking to play a more important part in things."

"What is she, six?" Rotor asked.

"I think she's eight now," Tails said. Hard to believe it had been two years since they'd first gone to Earth. A year since they'd met Cosmo. How time flew by.

Rotor shook his head as they started up the palace's sixty-six steps. "When I was that age, the most important thing in my life was collecting toys. They used to have this cereal, wheat flakes I think it was. Horrible stuff, but I begged my mom for it all the time. See, they had one of several types of dinosaurs in different colors in each box. I think there were six or seven types. I don't know why, but most of them seemed to have had plesiosaurs. I must have had a dozen of those in six different colors!"

"Um, yeah," Tails said. "I used to like dinosaurs too. So…what's the situation at the palace these days?"

"Well, with the economy so poor, they've been printing money that can't be covered with existing precious metals," Rotor said seriously. "Of course, our problems started when Eggman absconded with most of our gold and silver."

"I remember once telling Sonic and Sally that bubble gum was worth more than money these days," Tails said.

They started to pass two guards holding spears. Tails didn't recognize either of them. Of course, he'd only been by a couple of times in the last year or so. Most of the older retainers had been roboticized. Like Sonic's Uncle Chuck, one of the few that had been lucky enough to be changed back. Tails realized he should help Nicole and Sally deroboticize more. At the very least, he had to change back Sonic's dad. Maybe when he felt better. It was very difficult work.

"I'm sorry?" Tails said, realizing Rotor had said something to him.

"I was just noting that you're holding onto that case like it's something very important," Rotor said.

"Pictures and blueprints," Tails explained. "I want to discuss a big project I'd like to start soon. I-I'm going to ask Sally if I can start working on a--a memorial garden for Cosmo. She--she was a plant, I guess you've heard?" He sighed. "Do you--do you think it's odd, that I fell in love with a plant?"

"Do you think it's odd?" Rotor asked.

Tails shook his head. "Cosmo was the best thing that ever happened to me," he said. "Her being a plant never made the slightest bit of difference to me." Although, he remembered, it had made a difference to her.

"We can't control who we fall in love with, Tails. Didn't Sonic fall for one of Eggman's robots once?"

"Yeah, Breezy," Tails said. "She said she'd look him up when she'd decided what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, but…Sonic never heard from her again."

"You were in love once before too," Rotor said.

Tails cringed. "Don't remind me! I don't know what I was thinking with that witch, Fiona!"

Rotor stared at him. "You never used to talk like that about people, Tails," he said softly.

"Sorry," Tails said. "I get like this sometimes. Please excuse me if I act a little erratic now and then."

"I see…" Rotor said.

At last they reached the door to the throne room. Two more guards Tails didn't know guarded it.

"Halt!" one cried, holding his spear in front of the door. "Who goes there?"

"Um…I'm Miles Prower," Tails said. "This is my friend, Rotor Boomer. We're here to see the princess." He'd never had trouble getting in to see Sally before. He really had been away too long.

"He wasn't talking to you, kid," the other guard said.

"Kid?" Tails cried. "I'm Tails the Fox!" he waved his two tails.

"Sure you are!" the first guard said. He turned to Rotor. "What's your business here, Pops?"

"Pops?" Rotor repeated. "Now, see here, young man…"

"Oh, troublemakers, huh?" the second guard said. "Let's run 'em in!"

"Hey!" Tails cried, as the first guard grabbed him and the second grabbed Rotor. "Let go! Sally! Nicole!" This was ridiculous!

"Quiet, you!" the guard holding him ordered. Tails grabbed the guy's arm and flipped him. The guard cried out and he fell on his back. The other guard let go of Rotor and threatened Tails with his spear.

"You're gonna be sorry you did that, you little brat!" the guard on the floor said angrily.

"What is all this?" A holographic image of a lynx appeared.

"Nicole!" Tails cried. "Can you tell these guys who we are?"

"What?" Nicole said. "I don't understand. What's happening?"

"We're arresting these two for resisting arrest!" the guard Tails had flipped said. "And this little brat assaulted me!"

"Oh dear," Nicole said. "Um…just a minute." She winked out.

"Nicole!" Tails cried. She was probably smarter than he was, being centuries old and all, but also even nerdier. Sometimes, her help was as bad as the problem she was helping with.

"I sure hope she's gone to get the princess," Rotor said nervously.

The guards, however, didn't look as if they were willing to wait. Tails was pretty sure that he could handle them, though, until he saw one reach into his pocket. A gun? No. A taser. He grabbed Rotor, spun his tails, and rose up almost to the ceiling. If they did have guns, he didn't know if he could dodge them. He'd seen Sonic do it, but Tails had never gone supersonic. The fastest he'd ever been clocked at was a bit over five hundred miles an hour, and he'd ran out of gas fast at that pace.

Luckily, Tails wouldn't need to find out if he could dodge a bullet, at least not on this day. The door to the throne room opened just then, and Princess Sally Acorn stepped out, dressed in her imperial princess outfit. "What is the meaning of all this racket?" she demanded in a loud, shrill voice, not at all princessy. Sally was a tomboy, always had been.

"These two are resisting arrest!" the guard Tails had thrown cried. "And the one with the tails assaulted me! And…"

"Those are my friends, and heroes of the kingdom!" Sally proclaimed. "Don't you two idiots know anything? That's Tails the Fox and Rotor the Walrus! Freedom Fighters against the madman, Dr. Eggman!"

"That's what I told them," Tails said, coming down for a landing.

"But, they're dangerous!" the guard Tails had flipped said.

Sally glared at the two guards. "Yes, they most certainly are," she said. "And if you both don't get out of my sight by the time I count to ten, I'll sic them on you! One! Two! Three!"

The guards took off. "Get out of my way!" one yelled.

"Don't crowd me!" the other shouted.

Sally smacked her forehead. "I am surrounded by idiots!" she said. "I'm so sorry! It's good to see both of you again! I'm afraid I can't get out of the palace as often as I like anymore!"

"Sure, we understand, Princess," Rotor said.

"Sally," she corrected. "Now, you wanted to see me today, Tails?" She led them to her private office, and motioned for them to sit down in front of her desk.

"Yeah," Tails said, checking to make sure his case was still all right. "Whew!" he said. "My pictures are okay! I have copies at home, but…" But he had promised himself he wouldn't go into Cosmo's shrine again.

"Pictures?" Sally repeated. "Of your…friend?"

"Sonic asked you not to mention her name to me, didn't he?" Tails asked. "I don't ever want to be afraid to hear or say Cosmo's name." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. Was I shouting? Please forgive me, I just…"

"It's okay, Tails," Sally said, patting him on the head. "I know what it's like to lose loved ones."

Sally's mother had died when she was little. Her father was still alive, but he hadn't been right after all the things that Eggman had done to him. The old king was in a wheelchair now, and had a tendency to scream at people.

Tails dropped a blueprint on the rug. As he stooped to pick it up, he noticed for the first time it was new. Red and white and gold, it covered the floor of the office. Blue curtains covered the windows. And the desk he was sitting in front of, why hadn't he noticed until just now that two coffee mugs sat on it, one filled with pencils and pens, and the other with what seemed to be actual coffee. He hadn't known that Sally drank it. Later, he'd wish she'd switch to decaf.

There was also a framed picture of the original Freedom Fighter. "Were we ever that young?" Tails asked, looking at it.

Sally sighed. "Tails," she said, "you're what, now? Ten? You still are young."

"I feel old," Tails said. He looked the old group. Bunny was now Sally's hairdresser. She and Antoine had been married for about a year now. And… "How's Darcy?" he asked. "I haven't seen her in…two years, at least."

"Fine," Sally said. "I'm glad I insisted that she retire, though. She has floaters in her left eye now."

"I'm so sorry!" Tails said. From what little he knew about eye problems, he didn't think that there was much that could be done about them.

"So, can I look at your plans?" Sally asked.

Tails blushed. "Oh, right! Sorry!" He opened the briefcase. As he did, Nicole suddenly appeared. She looked as if she were sitting on the edge of the desk, but if you looked closely, you'd realize she was actually floating an inch or two above it.

"I've been wondering what the girl that won the little genius' heart looked like," she said.

Tails sighed. "It doesn't matter now," he said softly, holding up her picture.

"Oh, Tails, she was adorable!" Nicole said. She had been so mechanically minded when he'd first met her. Centuries ago, she had been a guardian serving the first King Acorn. Her memory of those days was nearly gone, but echidna records showed that one of Knuckles' ancestors had long ago saved her from a violent death by placing her essence in a chaos emerald. Sally had never explained exactly how she had found Nicole. Tails expected the true story was somehow embarrassing to her.

"These are blueprints of a memorial garden?" Nicole asked.

"Yes," Tails said. "I'd like permission to begin construction, Pr-Sally. I-I'd like to explain to all of you, now that I'm able to hold it together a little better than when I first came back, just how important Cosmo was. To all of us." He realized he was twiddling his fingers, and forced himself to stop.

"Take your time," Sally said gently.

"I don't want to scare any of you," Tails said, "but I need to explain that the Metarex very nearly destroyed the entire galaxy! Mobius, and all the planets around us for, well, probably a hundred thousand light years around us, would have perished, if not for Cosmo's sacrifice."

"They had that kind of power?" Sally asked, shocked.

"They had the seven chaos emeralds," Tails said, "plus thousands of fakes they'd made. They also had hundreds of planet eggs…"

"What's a planet egg?" Rotor asked.

"Scanning," Nicole said. Binary code started rushing faster and faster across her eyes. "The planet egg is the life essence of a world. Without it, everything on the planet will gradually wither away and die."

"And that was what they were doing on Mobius, when their leader beat Sonic?" Sally asked.

"Not just Sonic," Tails corrected. "With all seven emeralds, Sonic can super transform into a being he calls Super Sonic. Sonic can run faster than sound. Super Sonic can fly at, well, my closest estimates are about 99.99% of the speed of light."

"Light speed?!?" Sally, Rotor, and Nicole all said.

"Yeah, I know," Tails said. "His strength and stamina are similarly enhanced. But it wasn't enough. The Metarex ruler, Dark Oak, still defeated him. He spent several days unconscious, and finally awoke to find himself at Eggman's lair. Apparently, Eggman was more interested in finding out who had beaten Super Sonic than trying to get rid of Sonic."

"He's sick and twisted," Nicole said, "but I've always suspected that Doctor Eggman follows some sort of moral code that makes perfect sense to him."

"Wait," Sally said. "All the time you guys were in space, plants kept dying on our world. Are you saying that Mobius was dying?"

"Yes," Tails said. "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have told you."

"No, it's important I know these things," Sally said. "Actually, I'm going to have to talk to Sonic about this. He should have told me long ago just how serious things were. I thought he was speaking metaphorically when he said this Dark Oak might have destroyed the entire galaxy."

"No," Tails said, "I'm afraid not. He was speaking literally. Cosmo merged with him, making him weak enough for Super Sonic and, well, Super Shadow. They might have been able to stop Dark Oak without her sacrifice, but they would have been killed. As far as we know, Shadow was killed anyway."

"There were four other generals, right?" Sally asked. "Knuckles knocked one into a volcano?"

"Yellow Zelkova," Tails said. "Red Pine plunged into a black hole. Pale Bay Leaf and Black Narcissus merged with Dark Oak into a three headed dragon. The Master Emerald gave my wave motion gun enough power to destroy those two, but it used up so much power, it shattered, and Dark Oak just laughed."

"He was stronger than Super Sonic and the Master Emerald put together?" Rotor cried. "How did he get so much more powerful than the others?"

Tails shook his head. "That's one of things I'll always wonder," he said. Another, of course, was that he would never give up trying to figure out how he could have stopped Dark Oak without losing Cosmo.

"You're right, Tails," Sally said, looking over the blueprints. "Someone like that should have something to commemorate there having been here. If I may, I'd like to look this over, show it to my brother, King Elias. If you can give me a few days, I'll see what I can do to get this started."

"Thanks, Sally," Tails said, rubbing at his eyes. "I'd really appreciate any help you can give me. I hate to impose, but…"  
"Nonsense," Sally said. "You've saved my life I don't know how many times. And I think I know the perfect location. The old museum Eggman's robot destroyed years ago."

"I remember that place vaguely," Tails said. "There were statues and artifacts from thousands of years ago there. It's sad that so much history was lost forever because of that maniac."

"Especially since much of it was catalogued by Julian Kintobor before he found that weird egg-shaped thing that blew up in his face," Rotor said. "I worked with him briefly before that. You'd find it hard to believe, but he was actually a pretty nice guy before he became the Eggman."

Tails didn't say anything, but he remembered that Cosmo's mother had claimed that Dark Oak had been good once. Tails didn't believe that either. He couldn't. He needed to have somebody he could hate.

Tails went through everything. "I'd like a projection room, that would show some of what happened. What was narrowly averted." He wouldn't tell everything. That the Metarex were of the same race that poor Cosmo had been. That Cosmo was an unwitting spy for them. Or the connection he refused to think about between Cosmo and Dark Oak. That he may have been closer to Cosmo's mother, Hertia, and, therefore, to Cosmo herself.

Tails was just finishing, and promising that he wouldn't go so long without seeing his friends again, when there was a blue blur that whizzed back and forth and around and around the room.

"Nobody's impressed, Sonic," Sally said, looking bored.

The blur stopped. "Hi, Sally!" Sonic said. "Good to see ya, girl! How's it going, Rotor? Nicole?"

"I was just leaving," Tails said. "I'll see you later, guys."  
Rotor and Nicole talked to Sonic for a few minutes about the old days, then they left as well. Sonic was now alone with Sally.

"Sally…"  
"Sonic, how is Tails, really?" Sally asked him.

"Not so good, really," Sonic admitted. "His brother moved in with him the other day. You know how that guy is."

"Yes, I remember," Sally said. "He dunked my pigtails in the inkwell in school. I've kept my hair short ever since."

"Do you want me to punch him out for you?" Sonic asked.

Sally sighed. "Sonic. I'm glad you're here. We need to talk."  
"You mean…about us?" Sonic asked.

"There is no us," Sally said softly, standing up. "It's over, Sonic. What we had was special, but my feelings for you are just feelings of friendship now. Amy Rose loves you. She should go talk to her."

"What--what did I do wrong?" Sonic asked her.

"It's not you, Sonic," she said. "I've changed. I've been forced to do a lot of growing up. I've had to pretty much take over the kingdom. My brother is technically king now, but, well…you know he had that problem awhile back."

"You mean when he had a nervous breakdown," Sonic said.

"See, that's one of your problems," Sally said. "You say things without thinking! People that don't understand you think you're rude."

"You-you want me to change?" Sonic asked.

"No, I don't expect that of you," Sally said. "It wouldn't make any difference between us."

"You won't even give me a chance?" Sonic said. "Are you saying I'm immature?"  
"I'm saying we've drifted apart," Sally said. "I'll always look back fondly on our time in the Knothole Tunnels together, but I can't be that girl again. I can't go back to fighting Eggman's badniks and swatbots. I have other responsibilities now."

"Is that what this is all about?" Sonic demanded. "You want me to stop fighting him? I can't do that, Sal! Not even for you! Somebody has to protect everybody from him!"

"That's not what I'm saying, Nicky Parlouzer. I know what you have to do. It's your destiny. And this, here, is mine. We were just two ships that passed in the night. Time to move on, Sonic. You wouldn't be happy in my world, and I can't stay in yours anymore. Amy wants to. She has a terrible temper, but she's stuck by you when everyone else thought you'd lost your mind more than once. Including me. I've had my doubts about you. Amy never has. Anyway, you need to worry about Tails now. He's acting just like my brother did just before he had his breakdown."

"I've called in his parents," Sonic said. "They should be here soon. But, Sally…"

"Good-bye, Sonic," she said, kissing him. "Good luck. And God bless." She opened her desk drawer and pretended to be looking for something inside.

"Good-bye, Sally," Sonic said sadly, walking away. He stepped outside into bright sunlight. It was still summer, but to Sonic the Hedgehog, it was a cold and dark day in winter. The girl he loved had moved on. But Sonic was still stuck in the past. "You and me are more alike than I thought, Tails," Sonic thought. "I hope everything works out…for both of us."

This story is now at the halfway point. Next time, Tails' parents move in. And the chapter after that, Sonic leaves on his own mini-story. And with Sonic gone, well, who knows what sort of trouble might happen!?!


	16. Chapter 16: Meet the Parents

This story assumes that they spent about a year on Earth, and close to that in space, and they've been back about five months now. So add two years to everybody's ages. So, did you think Tails' brother was annoying? Then wait until you…

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Sixteen

"Meet the Parents"

Two days later, Tails was washing up after a morning of working on his pet project, when there was a knock on the door. "Simon? Can you get that?" he asked. The only response was a snore. Tails sighed. His brother was sure a lot of help. Fought with his friends, gave bad advice, made awful jokes then laughed at them, ate everything he could get his hands on, then couldn't even answer the door!

"Yeah, yeah!" he said, opening the door. "What do you…want?" He froze. It was his parents!

"Is that how you speak to your mother?" General Amadeus Prower demanded, glaring at Tails with his one eye. He'd lost the other years ago in war.

"My baby!" Rosemary Prower cried, throwing her arms around Tails. "It's all right, honey! Mommy's here now! She'll make everything better!"

"Mom? Dad?" Tails cried. He was caught completely off guard. "Wha-what are you two doing here?"

"Merlin called us," Tails' father said. "Apparently, that Parlouzer boy did something to you, and Merlin was worried."

"What?" Tails said. "No! Sonic didn't"…but that tiny voice inside his head said, "Didn't he, Miles? Didn't Sonic cause your problems?" The Unbreakable Bond still held, but if Tails ever discovered Sonic could have done something to prevent what had happened… Was his bond to Cosmo stronger than his bond to Sonic. Yes, he realized. It was.

"Miles?" Tails realized his mother was speaking to him. "What's wrong, honey? Merlin said you were having problems, but he didn't really say what happened."

"Did someone hurt you, son?" his father demanded, placing his hand of his sword. "Tell me, and I'll take care of them!"

"I did! Tails sobbed. "I did an awful thing! And…and I just can't make it right again!" And once again, like it had on the beach, everything came bursting out of him. He buried his head in his mother's belly and wailed like a baby. "I try!" he cried. "I try to hold it together! To move on! But I have to work at it! All the time! I think I'm going crazy, and I don't care anymore!"

"What's going on?" Sanguine asked, sitting up. His hair stood out wildly in every direction.

"Simon?" Amadeus said. "When did you get here?"

"Amadeus!" Rosemary cried. "He's hung over!"

"Uh…actually, I don't drink," Sanguine said, getting up. "Guess I was up late. Miles was out walking half the night. You do know he's seeing a therapist, right?"

"He's what?!?" Amadeus cried. "My son, seeing a shrink?"

"Now, now, dear," Rosemary said. "This isn't about you. This is about our little baby boy. What's the matter, precious?" But Tails was too overcome at the moment to answer her.

"Well, boy?" Amadeus demanded, turning towards his older son. "What's wrong with your little brother?"

"You'll have to ask Miles," Sanguine said. "I'm not a fink."

"Why haven't you enlisted yet?" his father demanded.

"Um…because I like my blood and intestines on the inside, not the outside?" Sanguine suggested.

"Insubordination!" General Prower yelled. "Drop and give me ten!"

"You're…kidding, right?" Sanguine asked.

"Would you like to make it twenty?" his father said. "Move it! Move it! Move it!"

"Dear, please, not so loud," Rosemary said. "Come on, baby," she cooed to Tails. "Tell your mommy what's making you so sad?"

Sobbing, Tails managed to tell his parents about Cosmo. How they'd fallen out of the sky. How they'd helped her fight the Metarex. And how he'd been forced to kill her to save the galaxy.

"You killed the little girl you had a crush on?" his mother said, hugging him. "Oh precious, that's so sad! Mommy's so sorry!"

"It wasn't just a crush!" Tails cried. "I love her!"

"You're eight," his father said. "You don't know what love is!"

"I'll be eleven next month!" Tails said.

"Same difference," his father insisted.

His mother patted his head. "Puppy love is very sweet, dear, but…"

"It's not puppy love!" Tails yelled. "She was my life, my world, my…"

"You're shellshocked," his father told him. "You feel guilty because you came back and she didn't. Sometimes, in war, difficult decisions have to be made. That's what makes a good leader. I'm proud of you, son!" He gave Tails a thumbs up.

"What?!?" Tails cried, horrified by his father's reaction. "No!" His father actually approved of what he'd done?

"It's sad, but you saved a lot of people, precious," his mother assured him. "That's my little man!"

"Stop!" Tails moaned. He could feel another tantrum building up inside of him. He had to get away. He didn't want to blow up at his parents. Not the way he had at Amy at the beach. Definitely not like he had completely lost in on the Blue Typhoon. "You don't understand!" he cried, struggling to get free. "You're not even trying!"

"No, no," his mother assured him, holding him tighter until he could scarcely breath. "Mommy's here now, and everything's going to get all better! Now, why don't I make you some tea? Do we have tea? Simon, I'll make you a list of things we need!"

"You're…asking me to go to the store now?" Sanguine asked.

"Your mother doesn't have to ask you anything, boy!" Amadeus yelled at his older son. "You'll do what you're told! Then, when you get back, we'll do something about those skinny little arms of yours!"

"You'll…what?" Sanguine asked.

"Calisthenics!" General Prower said. "I'll make a man out of you yet, boy!"

Sanguine looked very relieved to get out of the house to go shopping. Tails wondered if he'd come back, or disappear for another year or two. Tails decided to degrade himself, and begged to go along. He had to get away from these two, at least for a little while!

"We've been drafted!" Sanguine muttered as they left.

"See?" Tails said. "This is why I didn't want to call them! I'm going to be in a straightjacket before my birthday!"

"They're trying too hard to make up for lost time," Sanguine said.

"I still don't understand where they disappeared to after Sonic saved them from aliens!" Tails said. "They were with me a few months, then they left again!"

"Well, I have an idea about that," Sanguine said. "What do you remember from before they were abducted? You know, when you were four?"

"You want me to remember something from when I was four?" Tails asked. He shut his eyes for a minute. Nothing so far. Wait. "Just before they disappeared, I tried to hug Mom, and she told me to be careful. I was upset she didn't want to hug me." Now he was upset because she _did_ want to hug him. This was something he'd probably be telling his therapist eventually.

"You didn't think Mom was a bit…fat?" Sanguine asked.

"Fat?" Tails repeated. "What do you…?" He walked into a mailbox. "Ouch!"

"That'll leave a mark," Sanguine said.

"Thanks for the warning," Tails said sarcastically, rubbing his nose. "Could you get to the point?"

"You may be a genius, Miles, but you sure aren't good with puzzles," his brother told him. "Mom was expecting."

Tails gasped. "What happened to the baby?" he asked.

"They never said, really," Sanguine admitted. "But I overheard Mom saying a couple of years ago, "She has to be somewhere, Amadeus!"

"So…we have a sister, and they've been searching for her since Sonic rescued them from the aliens?" Tails said. "But…Sonic found them on the aliens' world. Why would our sister be here on Mobius?!?"

"You got me," Sanguine said.

They ran into Amy at the supermarket. "Don't start with me!" Amy hissed. The manager was watching her today. "If you make a scene here, I'm going to get you good!"

"Get over yourself," Sanguine said, walking past her. "I have enough on my plate with wasting my time with you…Rosie!"

"Arghh!" Amy yelled.

"Hey!" the store manager said. "I'm warning you, kid! Watch it!" As he walked away, Amy stuck her tongue out at him.

"What did I tell you about annoying my friends?" Tails demanded.

"We're in for a rough time," Sanguine said. "I have to get my laughs while I have a chance."

Once back home, their mother said, "Honestly! Nothing in here but microwave popcorn and soda! You'll stunt your growth _and_ rot your teeth!"

"Yes, Mom," Tails said, putting groceries away.

"And what's in that room you have locked up?" she demanded. "Did your brother give you naughty magazines?"

Tails blushed. "Mom! Really! Simon collects comic books and horror magazines!"

"Well, those can rot your brain!" Rosemary said. "Simon! Don't you be scaring your little brother with monster stories!"

"Hmph?" Sanguine asked with his mouthful of popcorn.

"Simon!" she yelled. "Don't fill up on popcorn! I'm making a nutritious lunch!"

"Okamohack!" Tails sighed as he gave his brother the Heimlich maneuver.

"What have we learned?" Tails demanded.

"I know, I know," Sanguine said. "Don't eat with our mouths full."

"All right," their mother said, "clear out of my kitchen! I don't want you two boys spoiling your appetites! Simon! How did you get that popcorn again?! Give it to me!"

"It's my kitchen!" Tails muttered. "Oh well, maybe I can get some peace and quiet for a…" He felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"While we're waiting," their father said, "nothing like tossing a football around to work up an appetite!"

"Toss a football around," Tails repeated. "You're kidding, right?"

"Have fun," Sanguine said, starting to walk away.

"Nice try, mister!" Amadeus said. "Now get it in gear, you goldbricks! Let's go! Let's go!"

So they played football until lunch time. Of course, Tails and Sanguine both had to hold back their speed. Their father had no super powers. Tails wondered what had caused both him and his brother to be so fast. Sanguine, with only one tail, couldn't fly like Tails could, but he could run away from Amy Rose, who was awfully fast. It didn't seem all that impossible that a little sister might be able to use chaos control.

"Can we go now?" Sanguine kept asking.

"Drop and give me twenty!" Amadeus finally said. "You sound just like you used to when we'd go on vacation, young man! 'Are we there yet?' 'Are we there yet?'"

"And he thinks this is going to make me feel better?" Tails asked himself.

"Lunch time!" Rosemary called. "Simon! Get off the lawn!"

After lunch, Tails just wanted to lie down, but his mother dragged him off to the mall. "You need some nice clothes, honey!"

"I'm fine the way I am, Mom!" Tails whined, but it was no use.

As luck would have it, he ran into Amy again at the mall. This time, Cream and Cheese were with her.

"Oh my gosh!" Amy cried. "Tails, why didn't you tell me your mom was back in town?"

"Yes, why didn't you, Miles?" his mother asked.

"Um…I'm getting to be an absent-minded professor?" Tails asked.

"Aw! Who's this cute little thing?" Rosemary asked, looking at Cream.

"Oh, this is our friend, Cream," Amy said. "We met her back when…ah!"

Rosemary had just picked Cream up. "Oh, you're so soft and warm and plump!" Tails' mother said to the little bunny, giving her a big hug. Cream blushed.

"Uh…thanks?" Cream said.

"Chao chao?" Cheese said, sounding very confused.

"And look at these cheeks!" Rosemary said, pinching Cream's cheek.

"Ow!" Cream said. "Um, Ma'am? You're hurting me!"

"Who's a pretty girl?" Rosemary asked, pinching Cream's other cheek.

"Ow!" Cream cried.

"Hey!" Amy said, folding her arms. "I'm a pretty girl, too, you know!"

"Yes, yes, but you need therapy for anger management issues," Rosemary said sweetly. She handed Cream to Tails. "Here, honey, isn't she the kind of girl you just want to cuddle?"

"Mom!" Tails whined, feeling his face burning as he suddenly realized he was holding Cream. "I'm so sorry about this, Cream," he whispered. "My mom really wanted a little girl."

"You smell minty," Cream said. She shut her eyes and puckered up like she'd seen Amy do when she tried to kiss Sonic. To her embarrassment and disappointment, Tails just set her down on her feet. "Now I really know how Amy feels!" she thought. She had been taught that the boy chases the girl. But Cosmo had tried to follow that rule, and look what had happened to her.

"Wow," Amy whispered to Tails, "I know a lot of women say they'd like to take Cream home with them, but your mom's the first I've ever seen who looks like she might actually do it!"

"I know!" Tails moaned. "Do you see any rocks I could crawl under?"

"Isn't he just the cutest thing?" Rosemary asked Cream, ruffling Tails' hair. "Wouldn't you like to find him under your Christmas tree?"

"Yes!" Cream said before thinking. "Uh…" Oh no! Had she just said that out loud?!

"Sorry, honey," Rosemary said, hugging her son. "You'll have to wait a few years. I'm not ready to give my baby boy away yet, isn't that right, shnookums?"

"Please hit me upside the head with your pico-pico hammer!" Tails asked Amy once his mother had finally let him go.

"Sorry," Amy whispered, "but your mom's too scary. I don't want her coming after me!" Rosemary Prower had once chased down a shoplifter at a store and beaten him until the security guard had had to save him from her.

"What was that?" Rosemary asked.

"Uh…we're shopping for a big end of summer party we're having this weekend," Amy said.

"Oh?" Rosemary said. "How nice! That's just what Miles needs, a party! And I bet you'll be the best dancer there! I know you'll be the handsomest boy!"

"He sure will be!" Cream said. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Stop saying those things out loud!" she screamed at herself.

But Rosemary had heard her. She grabbed Tails with one hand and Cream with the other. "Don't they make a cute couple?" she asked Amy.

Amy grinned. "Why, yes," she said. "Yes, they do!" The wheels in Amy's head started turning. Cream would be perfect for Tails! She understood him. She liked him. And Amy could set Tails up before Vector found somebody and won that stupid bet he'd somehow talked her into accepting! Yes, Tails and Cream were just what all three of them needed. "I hadn't even noticed! But it's obvious now, the way she followed him the other day, the way she always defends him. Cream's having her first crush! Okay, time for Cupid to shoot an arrow of love that will melt Tails' cold, cold heart!"

"I don't dance," Tails muttered. He couldn't. The last time he'd tried, he'd stepped on a girl's feet twice, then knocked her into the punch bowl. He'd apologized again and again, but she had still beaten him up. That girl, of course, was Amy Rose.

'Tails' dancing has a real punch to it," Amy said.

"Yeah," Tails said, "and I really got a kick out of your dancing." Halfway across the room, in fact.

Amy gave him a hug. "I didn't hit you that hard," she hissed.

"Right," Tails hissed back. "I always bleed when I'm punched softly. Keep this up and you'll make Sonic jealous."

"Don't worry, I'm still after True Blue," Amy said. "Besides, I have something else in mind."

Tails gasped. "Amy, no!"

"Don't worry, Tails," Amy said, giving him a thumbs up. "Leave it to me!"

Tails moaned as Amy, Cream, and Cheese left them. Who was she going to set him up with next.

"Cream, honey," Amy said sweetly, once they were out of hearing range of Tails and his mother. "What do you think about Tails?"

"He's…really…smart," Cream said, blushing.

Amy stared into her large brown eyes. "Is that all?" she insisted.

"He's…cute…isn't-isn't he?" Cream stammered.

Amy hugged her best friend. "You like him, don't you?"

"He's a good friend," Cream said, trying to cover her face with he hands.

"Do you want him?" Amy asked, getting to the point.

"Do I what?" Cream asked.

"We have a lot to talk about," Amy said.

Interestingly, they ended up back together again in a large department wondered if it was a coincidence. Then he noticed the way Cream looked. Oh no…

Tails was too busy to worry too much. His mother had him try on outfit after outfit after outfit. They were all nerdy looking. Ruffled shirts. Short pants with suspenders. A beany.

"I like the tie with flowers on it," Cream said as Tails' mother started trying ties on him.

"I like the one with the sharks," Amy said.

"I like the one that's tied to the ceiling, while I'm wearing it!" Tails muttered. Luckily, no one heard him. It probably would have gotten him more therapy.

"You forgot shoes," Amy said.

Tails mouthed, "Thanks a lot, Amy!" She smiled sweetly at him. That is, until she saw his feet.

"Gross!" Amy said. "You need a pedicure!"

"No thanks!" Tails said. But of course, Amy never took no for an answer.

To Tails' horror, he then had to wait while Amy, Cream, and his mother tried on clothes. And more clothes. And more clothes. Even Cheese tried on several outfits.

"Can we go yet?" Tails asked every so often.

'Boys!" Amy giggled. "They have no idea how to shop!"

"Sure we do," Tails argued. "We want something, we get it. We don't waste all day wondering how every item in the store will look on us. Besides, you usually wear the same outfit every day!"

"Well, it doesn't seem to be working for me," Amy admitted, "so I think I'll experiment." She was currently wearing a blue dress for a change. "How do I look?" she asked, twirling around.

"Fine," Tails said, "I don't care. Can we go home now, Mom? Please?"

"You need socks and underwear," his mother said.

"I'm not trying those on!" Tails said.

"Oh, Miles, honestly, don't be silly," his mother said. "You don't try on underwear!"

"I'm going to look for a new bikini for the party," Amy said. "Come on, Cream!"

"Will we be out of here before my mustache is as big as Eggman's?" Tails asked.

"Oh, hush," his mother said. "Here. Let's try some dress shoes. Black or brown, precious?"

Amy came out with a bikini that had a strap around her belly. "What do you think?" she asked.

"A…three piece…bathing suit?" Tails said. "Sure, why not?" He moaned. Would this ever end?

Cream surprised everyone by holding up a very skimpy bikini and asking Tails if she should try it on.

"Cream!" Amy gasped.

"Shame on you, young lady!" Tails' mother said. She glared at Amy. "This is your influence, no doubt!"

"What?" Amy sputtered. "No, I…"

Horribly embarrassed, Cream dropped the bikini on the floor and ran crying into the dressing room.

Amy ran in after her. It seemed to take forever before they came out. Cream refused to try on anything else. She wouldn't look at either Tails or his mother.

No one said anything else about it, but Amy was worried. Was she a bad influence? She remembered when she'd told Cream and Cosmo to help her "persuade" Knuckles to let them use the Master Emerald in the Blue Typhoon. The way Cream had gotten so angry when they were fighting that smart aleck monkey Metarex. "I'm going to have to be more careful around her," Amy decided. She didn't want Cream chasing Tails down the street with a hammer!

"Really, Mom!" Tails said as he and his mother headed home. "Cream didn't mean anything. You really embarrassed her."

"She needs to be taken in hand now," his mother insisted. "Otherwise, she could grow up like that skank, Rouge." Tails sputtered. "Oh, it's not her fault," Rosemary went on. "It's that Rosie girl. She's a terrible role model. Remember when she used to jump off the roof? And she bit her fingernails. Well, of course, she's always been chasing that Sonic boy! Sonic the Hedgehog? Sonic the nose picker! Remember how his nose would bleed after awhile?"

Tails moaned. His mother was so embarrassing!

"Oh, but don't worry," his mother assured him. "I'm sure your little bunny friend will straighten up and fly right after a little discipline. Then you'll have a very nice little girlfriend."

Tails blushed. "I don't want Cream for a girlfriend!" he cried. "I love Cosmo!"

"Now, now, dear," Rosemary said, shaking her finger at him. "Mother knows best. I've seen your Cosmo's picture. Pretty little thing, even if she didn't have a nose, but face it dear, she's gone. Besides, she was a plant, you said. Honestly, Miles, what would people say if they knew you were dating a…a talking rosebush!"

Tails sputtered. "How can you say that about her?!?" Tails demanded.

"Trust me, everything I do is for you, honey," his mother insisted.

"I love Cosmo!" Tails insisted. "I've loved her since the moment I saw her. Long before we fell in that lake together."

"You went swimming with that girl?" Rosemary asked. She'd missed the word "fell." "So it was a little summer romance, but summer romances end with the summer precious."

"But…we held hands," Tails said. "And…and looked at the moon…and…and…she said she could stare at it forever, and…she cried because her family was gone, and she was all alone…and she said she had ngithmares…and…she was sure she wouldn't' have one that night beause she was so happy, and…and…" He threw his arms around his mother. "Oh, Mom! I miss her! I miss her so much!"

Tails cried all the way home. When he got there, he ran to his bedroom and slammed the door.

"Why?" he cried. "Why did I have to do it? Why?!?" His mother had managed to undo much of the damage control Cream had done at the beach.

"If that keeps up, the neighbors will complain," Amadeus said.

"Now, now, dear," Rosemary said. "Miles is going through a hard time. I'm sure he'll get over that plant girl once he starts seeing somebody else. There was this cutest little bunny girl we ran into today. With that little mental case, Rosie the Rascal. You remember her, don't you, Simon? Didn't you go out with her once or twice?"

"Uh…maybe," Sanguine said. He didn't want his parents to start on him next.

"It's a shame," Amadeus said. "Miles has so much potential. I don't know where we went wrong with that one!"

Sanguine decided to retreat to his room and barricade the door.

"Amy, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Cream asked as Amy gave her a manicure.

"Of course," Amy said. "You want to look pretty for Tails, don't you?"

"But…he doesn't want me," Cream pointed out. "He just thinks of me as a kid. A little sister."

"Don't worry," Amy assured her. "You just leave everything to big sister!"

Cream would be perfect for Tails, Amy was convinced. She could get him out of his bad place. And, of course, win for her that stupid bet she'd made with that stupid Vector. She could only imagine the type of girl Vector might set poor Tails up with!

"So, you'll go out with him, huh?" Vector asked the girl sitting across from him at the table.

"Sure, why not?" came the reply. "I have nothing better to do."

"Yes!" Vector thought. "I beat that Amy Rose! Woo hoo!"

"I'll arrange everything!" Vector promised, even though he didn't have the slightest idea how he would do that.

"You do that," the girl said, grinning coldly. "Miles 'Tails' Prower, wait 'til you get a load of me!"

To be continued!


	17. Chapter 17: Don't Leave Me Now, Sonic!

AFTER THE METAREX

Chapter Seventeen

"Don't Leave Me Now, Sonic!"

Tails' parents meant well, but it wasn't long before Tails realized they were going to drive him right up the wall. His mother painted his room sky blue, with puffy white clouds, and made him curtains covered with candy canes. His father brought him real candy canes, and made him play football and go jogging with him every day. Worse, his parents didn't approve of any of his friends.

"I remember you," Rosemary said when Sonic showed up on the Prower doorstep the next day. "You're that little boy that used to pick his nose. And your sister used to eat dirt. Why didn't you ever stop her?"

"Uh…actually, your son, Simon, used to dare her to do that," Sonic pointed out.

"Sii-mon!" she called.

"Yeah, well," Sanguine said. "I didn't think she'd do it! But actually, it was sand, not dirt."

"Same thing," Sonic said.

"Actually," Tails pointed out, "sand and dirt aren't the same materials at all. You see, sand is actually ground up rocks, mostly quartz, while dirt is…"

"Isn't he brilliant?" his mother interrupted. "But he's really too young to be running around fighting mad scientists and giant robots. Well, as long as you're here, would you like tea? We're out of lemon, though."

"Duh?" Sonic said. Rosemary had switched gears so fast, his train of thought had gotten lost at the station. He struggled to remember what he was doing there.

Luckily, Tails came to his rescue. "Oh, yeah, the movie!" he said, grabbing Sonic's hand. "We gotta hurry or we'll be late! 'Bye Mom!"

"Wait," Sonic said as Tails raced down his driveway. "Movie?!?"

"Please," Tails hissed, "just give me a reason to get out of there for awhile!"

"Miles!" his mother called after him. "Don't pick up anything you find in the street, and make sure you wash your hands before you eat anything!"

"Okay, Mom! 'Bye!" Tails cried. "Faster, Sonic! Before she decides to come with us!"

"I'm really sorry, Tails," Sonic said. "I thought they'd help you."

"They mean well, really they do," Tails said. "But their help in going to land me in the loony bin! Last night, Dad played the guitar and we all sang. Did you know 'American Pie' is over eight minutes long? I timed it!"

"Ouch!" Sonic said.

"And Simon kept singing 'I'm Henry the Eighth, I am I am!" Tails went on. "One verse, but he kept singing it over and over! It's still playing in my head!"

They had decided that since the movies was their alibi to get Tails out of the house, they might as well see what was playing. "Giant squid movie?" Sonic suggested.

Tails sighed. "I don't think so, Sonic," he said quietly. "Monster movies just don't agree with me these days. I don't find ghosts scary anymore, just sad."

"I'm not helping him at all," Sonic thought sadly. "He's falling apart, and I've just made it happen faster." He looked up at the posters. "How about this comedy?"

"I don't feel like laughing," Tails said. "Is there anything depressing to watch?"

They ended up seeing a detective picture. It wasn't very good, but Tails only sighed a couple of times during it, so he was either interested, or half asleep through most of it.

"I wonder who the killer is?" Sonic said after about an hour.

"It's so obvious, it's the man with the suitcase," Tails said.

"Hey! Shut up!" somebody in the next row yelled. Somebody else threw popcorn at them.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Sonic yelled. "He's just a kid!"

"Who are you, his mother?" Sonic felt something sticky in his hair.

"Who threw that?!" Sonic demanded.

"I'm sorry I said anything!" Tails said, cringing in his seat. "It seems like, these days, I'm sorry for a lot of things!"

An usher came in and threatened to clear the theater if there was any more trouble. "Who started this?" he demanded.

"This kid here!" somebody said.

"He's just a child," Sonic said. "I'm sorry." Tails started to object. Sonic put his hand over Tails' mouth.

"Didn't I have trouble with you before?" the usher demanded. "You and some crazy redhead?"

"I…don't know any crazy redheads," Sonic said. Well, it wasn't technically a lie. Amy wasn't exactly crazy, she just acted that way sometimes. Actually, Amy had a habit of getting them kicked out of the movies, the supermarket, the hardware store, and they'd both been banned from the library. Sonic wondered sometimes if he might like her better if she could just control herself in public.

When they left the theater, Tails suddenly said, "You know, Cosmo's flower bud is getting bigger and bigger. I know she said she wouldn't' be coming back, but…" He sighed and didn't finish.

"Never give up," Sonic said, even though he himself had long since given up the idea that he could have performed a miracle. "It'll be okay," he added. Neither of them believed that any more, of course.

Tails sighed. "Yes, well, that's what we tell ourselves, isn't it?"

Sonic looked at his friend. The bags under his eyes had become more pronounced. He still wasn't sleeping. He was probably eating because Cream and Amy and now his mother were pushing food at him. Sonic thought about the spell Tails' Uncle Merlin knew. It would make Tails forget he had ever known Cosmo. A horrible thing to do to somebody, but Sonic worried that it might eventually become necessary.

"I should have taken the risk," Sonic thought for at least the hundredth time. "I should have gotten into the Sonic Driver before she went out there. She was just a child! How could I have just stood by until she put herself in the line of fire? But then Amy and Mom and Dad would have suffered. No, there just wasn't any way for the last battle with Dark Oak to end happily. I hope it's hot enough down there for you!"

Sonic realized it was September now. Tails' birthday would be coming soon. October 16. He knew that Tails had wanted to share it with Cosmo. He'd barely known her his last birthday, and she had been too depressed and worried to pay much attention to anything at first. Had she somehow suspected that she didn't have long?

Christmas in three months. One of the two days Tails had wanted to spend with Cosmo the most. Sonic remembered last Christmas. It had looked like Tails was falling for her then, but after New Year's, he'd admitted to Sonic that he was afraid to say anything to her. Because of that Fiona. Man, what had Sonic been thinking when he'd gone out with her?!?

Poor Tails. He was really quite a nerd. Sonic pretended like he hadn't noticed, but his keen eyes had observed the way Cosmo's eye had sort of glazed over when Tails started his technobabble.

"Let's jog!" Tails said, running far ahead of Sonic. The hedgehog caught up to him, but made no effort to pas him. He realized Tails wanted to keep busy so he wouldn't have to think. But Sonic could run and think at the same time, and, despite what many people thought of him, often did.

"It really doesn't make sense," Sonic realized. "Why did Cosmo join us, and fall in love with Tails, if she was meant to die? Just because she had to love someone to be willing to make her sacrifice? Tails is right. That's a horrible fate for anyone to be forced into. It's like the whole time we knew her was just a random, temporary addition to our lives, like a tv miniseries or something, and she was removed when the show ended. Like our lives were supposed to reset, and we were supposed to forget ever meeting her. The same way with Earth and Chris and his friends. We were separated for six years on Chris' world, but only six months on our world. And Chris somehow lost that extra time. Like we weren't meant to see him again, but somebody decided to throw him in with us one last time, and didn't want to deal with him being an adult." It was a scary thought, that some force was arbitrarily playing chess with their lives, and Sonic shook his head to try to lose it. Telling what he'd just been thinking to Tails would just have him screaming about destiny again.

"Sonic?" Tails said, cutting into Sonic's thoughts.

"Huh?" Sonic said. "Oh. Yeah, little buddy?"

"If you hear anything about Amy trying to set me up on another blind date again, you'll warn me, right?" Tails asked. "I saw Debbie yesterday at the mall, and she seemed very depressed. I couldn't talk to her, because I was afraid my mom might say something about the way she looks, so I walked right past her. I don't know if she saw me or not. I don't want any other girls hurt like that."

"I'm really sorry about that," Sonic said. "I tried to stop Amy, but when she gets an idea in her head…"

"I know," Tails said. "I saw her talking to Vector the other day. They winked at each other, and Vector said, 'I'm gonna beat ya, Pinky!' And she said, 'No way, lizard breath!' So now, on top of Amy, I may have to worry about Vector too!"

"Well, they both claim they…"

"Yeah, they both keep saying they set me up with Cosmo," Tails said. "I'm sick of hearing that. When I saw Cosmo take Knuckles' hand, long before Vector ever met Cosmo, remember, on planet Breezy, I felt like punching Knuckles out. I didn't because I knew he could have annihilated me. But I wanted to."

They went on for awhile without talking. Finally, Tails said, "Sonic? Do you remember the sculptor that built that statue of you? I'd like to get in touch with her. Ask her to build one of Cosmo."

"Sure," Sonic said. "She's got this social anxiety thing, so I should talk to her. She said once, when people get near her, she feels like they're laughing at her."

"Poor thing," Tails said. "Ah! I hope Amy or Vector don't try to set me up with her!"

"She'd never show up," Sonic assured him. "She'd probably hide until the time of the date had passed."

"Well, I'd have to get some pictures of Cosmo from home," Tails said. "I don't have any on me, except for the one in my locket. So I couldn't go over to talk to the artist today anyway. I'll get you some pictures, Sonic."

Sonic had noticed that Tails was wearing a locket all the time lately. He'd suspected there was a picture of Cosmo in there.

"It looks like that charm you gave Cosmo during the party," Sonic said softly.

"I had its design copied," Tails said. "Cosmo's charm is in my…spare room."

Sonic hadn't been able to get back to that locked door to find out what was in there. He wondered if Tails' parents had forced the door. Well, if Tails wanted to talk about it, he'd bring it up.

"I had this made for her on planet Marumoran," Tails said. "But I never got up the nerve to give it to her. Aren't I the most pathetic thing you've ever seen?"

"Tails…" Sonic started to say. But Tails shook his head.

They ran for awhile in silence. When Tails finally stopped, gasping for breath, they were in the mountains.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Tails asked. "I-I wanted to take Cosmo to see this view, but…"

"I'm sorry," Sonic said. "I shouldn't have let her do it. I should have found another way. I let you both down, little buddy. She was a nice kid, Tails."

Tails sighed. "Sonic," he said, "when you talk so serious, it's upsetting. You're just not the type that apologizes. I don't blame you. I-I guess I did, at first. I blamed myself, too. I even blamed poor Cosmo for leaving me. But I could tell she was suffering. Did she look scared to you, Sonic? When she passed you?"

Sonic struggled to remember. "She looked very determined," Sonic said softly. "But also very calm. I guess she was resigned to what she had to do. I swear, Tails, I'd give up my powers forever if I could give her back to you."

"Then who would fight Eggman?" Tails asked. "It's okay, Sonic. We need you to be the hero."

Sonic shook his head. "I wasn't the hero back then," he said. "I should have moved faster. She really put me to shame there, little buddy. It's easy to be a hero with all kinds of freaky powers. I-I mean…maybe we could have made it, me and Shadow. Gotten Dark Oak and made it back safely."

"Don't mention Shadow to me again, Sonic!" Tails cried. "I hate him! I'll curse his memory until the day I die!"

"I'm sorry," Sonic said. "Do you--do you want to start back now?"

"In a few minutes," Tails said, walking about. "I'd like to walk around here for awhile first. It's nice here. I can see people wanting to live in the mountains. I prefer the sea, but the mountains are nice too."

"Well, I've been all over," Sonic said, "and the best place is home."

"Cosmo didn't have a home," Tails said quietly. He picked up a rock and tossed it. "Her planet looked really pretty though, didn't it? But she barely saw her own home world. I was going to take her back after we beat the Metarex. In fact--if Cosmo had wanted to live there, I--I think I would have moved to the Green Planet with her."

"Well, we'd all have missed you, little buddy," Sonic said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "But I can understand. Everybody has to follow their heart."

"I'd've missed you and Amy and Cream…and my parents," Tails said. "We would have come back for visits, of course. I--she was a plant, so I guess we couldn't have… had kids, but…"

"It's okay," Sonic said. "If you--if you want to cry, I can--leave you alone for awhile."

"No, I'm okay," Tails insisted. "I--I think I'm going to start building again, Sonic. No more weapons. A lot of animals were left homeless after Eggman's robots went on the rampage. I think I'd like to build houses for them. I--I fell like I need to do something important for others."

"Important?" Sonic said. "You saved the galaxy…"

"_Cosmo _saved the galaxy," Tails insisted. "I just did what she asked of me." He sighed. "I--I wonder…did she think there was a chance that she'd survive, or…or was she just tired, and wanted to be with her family again?"

They started home soon afterwards. By the time they reached Tails' house, he was exhausted. Sonic didn't try to go inside. He didn't want to fight with Tails' parents. He said good-bye outside, then turned to leave.

"Hey, Sonic, wait." It was Tails' brother. He stepped out of the bushes.

"You want something?" Sonic demanded. He expected Sanguine to sling an insult at him.

"Do you…do you think it's possible?" Sanguine asked. "That Miles' little flower could really be…?"

"I-I don't know," Sonic admitted. "It might be. It has to be something, right?"

"And…if it isn't…?"

Sonic shook his head. "Then we pick up the pieces, and try to put Tails back together again."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Sangine said. "This has been an awful time for my little brother, but…if that flower isn't what he's hoping for, who he's hoping for, then he could get much worse very quickly."

"Yeah, I know," Sonic said. This was the first time he and Simon Prower had ever had an actual conversation. Of course, it didn't last.

"Do you know how your powers work?" Sanguine asked Sonic. "Maybe, if you understood them better, you could have…you know, prevented this."

"Don't you think I've thought about that?!" Sonic demanded. "Over and over and over! Who are you to lecture me? You loaf through life contributing nothing to anyone! So don't talk to me about responsibilities!" Sonic took off. He was angry that he'd lost his temper. And angrier still, because he knew that Tails' brother was probably right. What had Chris' Grandpa Chuck said? "With great power comes great responsibility." It was too late for Cosmo. Maybe too late for Tails, too. But maybe, just maybe, Sonic could learn to hone his powers. Focus them. Even increase them. So that no one else would ever have to suffer the way those two poor kids had.

Should he try again? If he could get seven fake emeralds, super transform, use chaos regeneration again…? No! No, if Cosmo didn't want to come back, he had no right to try to force her. That would make him like Dark Oak.

Sonic's thoughts once again came to his little sister. He had saved so many of Eggman's victims, but had never found her. He knew his mother still hoped he would one day. Still kept Anita's room ready for her return, after more than four years. Was it wrong for him to let her keep thinking that Anita would walk in the door one day, saying "Hi, I'm home!"

Sonic was pulled out of his gloomy thoughts by a voice on his phone. "Sonic?"

"Sally?" Sonic called. He didn't normally carry a phone, but it had been necessary on in space, and, now, he needed to keep tabs on Tails. "What can I do for you, girl?"

"I've been informed that Eggman is running a quarry halfway around the world," Princess Sally said. Sonic sighed. As usual when she spoke to him these days, she was all business. "From what I've heard from Geoffrey St. John, Eggman is using child labor."

"That jerk just keeps finding new ways to be sleazy," Sonic said. "I'm on it. Who's assigned to the case besides St. John?"

"Well, his wife, Hershey, of course," Sally said. "Also Bunny and…Antoine."

Sonic grinned mischievously. "'Toine,' eh?"

"Please try not to make Antoine look like a fool this time!" Sally said.

"Well, I'll try, Sal," Sonic said, "but there are things that are just beyond my power!"

Sally sighed. "Will you be taking Tails or Amy with you?"

"Amy would think it was a date," Sonic said, "and I can't do that to Tails now. He--I think he's getting worse, Sally. His parents are with him now, but they're treating him like he's still four and a half."

"Well, they did lose him when he was that age, so you can't blame them for not wanting to accept that fact that he's not their little baby anymore," Sally said. "I'm sure he'll be all right with them. I mean, they _are_ his parents, right?"

"I hope you're right, Sal," Sonic said. "Can you tell him for me that I'll be back as soon as I finish with this assignment?"

"Sure," Sally said. "Good luck, Sonic. Be careful out there."

Sonic grinned. "So you _do_ still care!"

"You're a friend, and everyone on Mobius needs you," Sally said simply. "Please try to move on."

"Yeah, well, ask Tails how easy that is," Sonic muttered.

"What?" Sally asked. "I didn't hear you!"

"I said I'll make Eggman's goons queasy!" Sonic said. "Sonic out!"

At Sonic's house, his mother dusted her daughter's room. She looked at the framed picture of Anita on her dresser.

"Brenda?" came a mechanized voice. "Where's my…" Her husband froze in the doorway. "Why do you do this to yourself?"

"Paulie, we don't know that Brenda's…" she didn't finish her sentence. Her husband put his metal arms gently around her. He had nearly injured her once, trying to hug her. Tails had promised to try to deroboticize him, the way he had Paul's brother, Chuck, but Sonic had told his parents that Tails was having serious problems these days.

"I'm sorry," Paul Parlouzer said to his wife. "I…I wish I could tell you I think our son will find his little sister someday. I wish I could give you a proper hug. I can't even kiss you. That monster has destroyed so many lives."

"You're still here with me, and that's all that matters," Brenda assured her husband. "I'm sure they could change you back, if only little Tails weren't…Nikki says his parents are with him now."

"Well, that sure won't help much," Paulie said. "You know the Prowers. They're not the sort I'd want to be stranded on a desert island with."

"Well…they _were_ abducted by aliens," Brenda pointed out. "And Amadeus never was the same after he lost his eye…"

"That's what I love about you," the robot said, showing a surprising amount of emotion, considering his face was stiff and his voice was well modulated. "You always look for the est in everyone."

Amy turned on her radio. She started to dancercize. She'd picked it up while on Earth. She and Francis had worked out every day for weeks. Issed Francis. And Helen. And, of course, poor Cosmo. Cream was her best friend, but their age difference meant that there were things she couldn't share with her. Oh, she was starting to. She'd developed a crush on Tails. But she seemed to think dating meant watching cartoons and going to Twinkle Park together. Amy had talked Julie-Su into giving her martial arts training, but Julie was four years older than Amy. The pink hedgehog had no friends her own age. Vanilla had told her that would change when school opened up again, but Amy couldn't really see herself going back to being an ordinary person. Too much had happened to her. After a robot had stepped on her house, and she'd been separated from her parents, she had been found huddled sobbing in an alley, and sent to Mercia to live with her cousin, Rob. A nice guy, but he had treated her like a child. He'd taught her how to make a crossbow and use it, and Amy had gotten quite good at it, although she'd given it up when she got her pico-pico hammers. She decided she should check on her crossbow as soon as she finished exercising. If she needed it for some reason, she didn't want to find herself in the middle of combat, only to have the string suddenly snap as a robot was bearing down on her.

"I miss you, Cosmo," Amy said as she punched and kicked at the air. "I need somebody to commiserate with. I need to cheer myself up by cheering you up. I need to believe that love works!"

Amy started swinging harder. "Stupid little flower girl!" she sobbed. "How dare you make me and Cream, and especially poor Tails love you, and then be all noble and get yourself killed? Irst thing I'm doing when I die is track you down, and kick your big fat green keester!" She started crying. "Stupid stupid, green alien plant…thingy! How _dare_ you make me cry?!?"

Amy's phone rang. "Moshi, moshi!" she said.

"Hey, Toots!" It was Vector.

"Don't you call a girl that without her permission, you idiot!" Amy shrieked, rubbing at her eyes. "What do you want?"

"I'm just calling to say, 'I beatcha! I beatcha! Nya nya nya nya nya nya!"

"What the heck are you talking about?!?" Amy demanded. Vector was really losing it these days.

"I got Tails a new girl!" Vector bragged. "Her name's Ginger, and she's a real cute tomato!"

"You…got him a girl?!?" Amy said. "You're kidding, right?"

"Hey, I don't kid about things like that!" Vector said. "She's got a great shape on her!"

"Is she nice?" Amy asked. "Did you tell her Tails is in mourning?"

"I said she's got a nice shape!" Vector said, caught up in his own little world.

"That's not what I asked!!!" Amy shrieked. "Are you insane?!? I'm trying to mend Tails' broken heart, not win a beauty pageant!"

"Actually, she already won a beauty pageant last year, so…pbbbtttt!!!"

"What?!?" Amy yelled. "You chowder head! Why would a beauty queen go out with Tails? He's a nerd!"

"She said something about community service, and Tails could help her with that," Vector said. "Whatever that means."

"Say whaaaat?!?" Amy screamed. "You idiot! Community service means she's been arrested! You want to set poor little Tails up with a jailbird?!? What's the matter with you?!"

"Aw, come on, Amy," Vector said, still not getting it. "How bad can she be? She's friends with Rouge and everything!"

"Rouge is a crook!" Amy yelled.

"Yeah, but she's still amighty fine woman!" Vector said. "If I were Knucklehead, I'd dump the big dumb green rock for her in a second! Woo woo!"

Amy sputtered. "You're a pig! She screeched.

"No, I'm not!" Vector said. "I'm a crocodile! Duh!" He hung up.

"ARRGH!!!" Amy screamed. "That idiot!" She started to change so that she could go and warn Tails, but then she stopped. She had tried to set Tails up with a good girl, and that had blown up in her face. Maybe a bad girl like Rouge could do what a good girl couldn't.

"And if not--I can always knock her upside the head and tell Tails it was all Vector's fault!"

And so, not sure of what to do, Amy Rose decided to do nothing at present but watch and wait.

_Mother! This Vector is sending a terrible girl after Cosmo's boy! Surely she should know about this!_

_If she wishes to know, she will know._

_But a beautiful girl wouldn't want a smart, shy little boy like Cosmo's Tails! She must have an ulterior motive for wanting to go out with him!_

_Say nothing. A boy who is decent and caring won't want a girl like that._

_I see. So we are trying to determine if he deserves her love?_

_Wait and watch, dear._

_What are you talking about, Mother? Oneesama?_

_Do you wish to see your boy, Tails, today, little sister?_

_It hurts to see him. Yet, it hurts not to see him. Why does it still hurt, when I am dead?_

_You know why, my daughter._

_I'm not really sure I ever knew anything, Mother. But I will look a little. Who are these?_

_His parents, little sister._

_Then he will be taken care of, won't he? His mother will help him get over me._

_His love is still warm for you, little sister. Do you wait for it to grow cold?_

_What I do, I do for him, oneesama. It is the best I can do for the one I love. He's alive. He's well. He's loved. He doesn't need me._

_But do you need him, little sister?_

_I have you and Mother and our sisters and brother. I…I am all right._

_But are you happy?_

_Of--of course! This is Heaven!_

_But…_

_Galaxina, enough! Will you continue to watch, Cosmo?_

_I…I…I can't be with him anyway! This hurts too much! I have to…I have to go!_

_Cosmo! Wait!_

_Let her go. She was not trying to convince us that she no longer needs him. She was telling this to herself. Say no more to her about her boy unless she mentions him first._

_I only want what is best for my baby sister, Mother._

_But you and I cannot tell her what is best for her. Only she knows, and she is not quite so confused as she claims. She knows what is in her heart. Wait and see. All is happening as it must, my dear._

_Sigh. Yes, Mother._

And so Tails' Story continues. But, sadly, not with Sonic's help for awhile. Join us in the short (5-6 chapter) miniseries, After the Metarex: Sonic's Story, coming soon! But don't worry, Sonic should be back by about chapter twenty-one. But, will he be back in time to prevent tragedy?


	18. Chapter 18: Things Are Getting Worse

AFTER THE METAREX: TAIL'S STORY

Chapter Eighteen

"Things Are Getting Worse"

The next day, Tails was dragged off to the mall by his mother again. He was expecting it to be a horrible day. He had no idea that it was just the beginning of a horrible mess.

"Okay, youse guys," Vector said to Espio and Charmy, "here come Tails and his mom. We gotta get her sidetracked, so Ginger has a chance to make her move!" They had been waiting for Tails to come out of his house. They had expected him to be alone.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this whole thing?" Espio asked.

"Because you've seen what happens when we follow one of Vector's plans!" Charmy explained.

"Yeah!" Vector said. "That's why…I mean, shut up, Charmy!"

"Hahahahahah! And here's yet another episode of Vector's delusional!" Charmy cried. "We're starting a whole new season, kids!"

"I'm warning you, Charmy!" Vector said.

"Uh, Vector," Espio said.

"Not now, Espio!" Vector said.

"But, Vector, they've already passed by!" Espio said.

"Whaaat?!?" Vector cried. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Espio rolled his eyes. "What's the use?"

"Never mind your excuses!" Vector said. "Charmy, go be cute! Get Tails' mom to notice you."

"Okay," Charmy said, "then what?"

"Uh…lure her over this way so Ginger can get started on Operation: Heartmending!"

"Um, but shouldn't she be here?" Charmy asked him.

"Yeah, well…that might help," Vector admitted. "Where is that girl, anyway?"

"Right here!"

"Aahhh!" Vector cried. "Don't do that!"

"Oh, honestly!" the girl said. "What are you, a moron?"

"Hey, listen here, missy!" Vector said. "Don't you sweetheart me!"

"Yup," she said, nodding, "you _are_ a moron!"

_t_in the same reality as the rest of us!"

"Yeah," Vector said, "he's right, I…Shut up, Charmy!"

"Hahahahahah!"

"I'm warning you, Charmy!" Vector cried, chasing the bee around and around in circles.  
"I'm getting a headache!" Espio moaned.

"Hey!" Ginger said. "Three Stooges! Where's this guy you're setting me up with?" She was an orange monkey with flaming red hair, yellow eyes, and a long, prehensile tail, dressed in a tight black leather dress with high heeled black shoes. She had on a little less make-up than Rouge.

"Uh, yeah," Vector said. "He just passed by with his mom. We're going to need to distract her so that you can talk to him."  
"And you're sure that this is _the_ Miles Prower?" she demanded. "The sidekick of the famous Sonic the Hedgehog?" She looked like she wouldn't believe anything they told her.

"Yeah, that's him, all right!" Vector promised. "Me and Sonic are like this!" he added, holding two fingers about an inch apart.

"More like from here to that lamp post over there!" Charmy said.

"I'm warning you, kid!" Vector yelled, chasing the bee in circles again.

"How do you put up with those two?" Ginger demanded.

Espio shrugged. "It beats saying 'You want fries with that?'"

"Well, you guys better not be trying to con me!" Ginger said, putting her hands on her hips. "Believe me, I can be one dangerous enemy!"

"Oh yeah?" Vector said.

"He's sticking to classic material," Charmy explained.

"Yeah," Vector said, "I…hey!"

"Chase him on your own time," Ginger said. "Let's get this over with. I have a manicure planned for later!" She flicked her red hair over her shoulder.

They had to run to catch up to Tails and his mother. They were just going in the mall. They hid behind a sign that read:

2 Days

Without An

Eggman Invasion

"Mom!" Tails cried as he was loaded down with more clothes that would get him beaten up. "I'm not four anymore!" Sadly, his mother had never accepted the fact that Tails had gotten older all of the years they had been separated.

"But you look so adorable with your blonde hair and those big blue eyes!" his mother said. "Oh! You always wanted one of these!"

Tails sputtered as she handed him a beanie with a propeller on it. "Ack! You're kidding me!"

"You love planes," Rosemary said.

"Most planes don't have propellers anymore, Mom!" Tails pointed out. What was it with his mother and beanies? He couldn't remember ever seeing his brother wear one.

"Now go on in the changing room, and make sure you let me see every outfit, snookums!" Rosemary said.

Tails gasped. "Please don't call me 'snookums' in front of anybody I know, Mom!" Tails went into the changing room, muttering to himself.

"Okay, Charmy," Vector said. He was hidden behind a big rack of camouflage pants. "Tails is in the changing room. Now go distract Mrs. Prower so Ginger can make her move."

"Um, can't I bail out of this whole thing now?" Charmy asked.

"Oh no, you don't!" Vector said, grabbing the bee as he started to move a run for it. "We need somebody cute! I'm too tall, and Espio's funny-looking!"

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Espio asked.

"Well, duh!" Vector said. "How else can I see how handsome I am?"

"You need glasses!" Charmy said.

"Okay, wise guy!" Vector said, giving the bee a shove. "Do your stuff!"

"Um…hi!" Charmy said to Tails' mother. "I'm Charmy, and I'm a good buddy of your son, Tails!"

"Oh?" Rosemary Prower said.

"Yeah, he and I go way back!" Charmy said. "So, um…I'm shopping for clothes, but I don't know what would look good on me."

"You should have come with your mother, little boy," Rosemary said.

"Yeah, but…Eggman's robot stomped on my house, and…and…I couldn't find nobody when I woke up!" He started crying.

"Quit hamming it up!" Vector muttered.

"That monster!" Rosemary said. "Someone needs to deal with him once and for all!" She opened her purse, dug through it, then handed him a handkerchief.

"HOOONNNKK!" Charmy tried to hand it back to her.

"Keep it!" Rosemary said, backing away from him.

While this was going on, Ginger had slipped into the waiting room right next door to the one Tails was in. She put on the outfit she had picked out to get sympathy, making a face as she looked at herself in the mirror. This had better be worth it!

"So," she said, "does your mom make you try on embarrassing things, too?"

"Huh?" came Tails' voice from the next room. "Are you talking to me?"

"My mom gave me this horrible pink dress with ruffles on it," Ginger went on . "I look like a total dweeb in it!"

"Um…that's too bad," Tails said.

"I'm Ginger," she said. "I just know my friends are going to see me in this embarrassing little kid dress and then I'll never hear the end of it!"

""Um…I'm Miles," Tails said. "But everybody calls me Tails."

"Hi, Tails," Ginger said. Good, he was already starting to open up to her! "It's nice having somebody to talk to when things go bad. I'm so embarrassed to say this to somebody I just met, but you seem so nice."

"You don't have to tell me anything that makes you uncomfortable," Tails said.

"Well, it's just…" Ginger paused now, trying to get a good handle on the story she had worked on. "It's just…I cry at night. You see, there was this boy I kind of liked, but I was scared to tell him, and…and that awful Doctor Eggman attacked us with one of his robots, and…and the robot grabbed the boy I like, and carried him away. And--and--I'm sorry! I feel like such a creep! See, I--I know who you are, and I was hoping you could ask your friend, Sonic, to find him for me." Okay, now she'd admitted a lie, so he'd think she was coming clean with him. He wouldn't suspect the entire story was a lie, would he?

"Um…sure," Tails said. "Sonic's out on a mission right now, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."

He was out of town? Blast it! That meant she'd have to keep being sugary nice to this guy, and he sounded like a real momma's boy. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank!" To make it sound good, she really jumped up and down. Of course, being a monkey, she liked jumping up and down.

"Um…you'll have to excuse me," Tails went on, "but I'd better be letting my mom see my latest ensemble before she yells at me."

Ginger heard Tails open the door to his room. She did the same. She blinked. Tails was wearing a white shirt with ruffled sleeves and collar, black pants, spats, and Buster Brown shoes. He looked like an add for a clothing line for toddlers about a hundred years ago. But then, she'd made sure that she would as well. She really had taken the most sappy pink dress she could find. It had bows and ruffles and a little red heart over her heart.

"I, um, wasn't lying about the dress," she said, trying to look mortified, which she actually was. If any of the crowd she hung out with saw her in this, she'd have to bust some heads to get them to stop laughing. "But I can see that you have your own fashion problems, so I won't be a bother to you anymore."

Tails froze. Ginger had no idea how much her saying she was being a bother to Tails had affected him.

"Uh…are you okay?" Ginger asked after a minute.

Tails shook his head. "S-sorry," he said. "I…you're not being a bother to me. It's actually a…nice dress. Um…I'll try to find your boyfriend for you. I know what it's like to lose a loved one. The pain never goes away."

Ginger squeeled and hugged Tails. "Oh, thank you so much!" she said, feeling like she'd like to punch her own face for acting so sappy.

"Um…you're welcome," Tails said. "Um…please don't hug me."

"Oh, sorry!" Ginger said. So he wasn't interested in her…yet. Well, this was just the beginning! "Excuse me," she said, deciding she'd done enough for the time being. "I can see my mom's wondered off someplace, probably to find some other monstrosity to embarrass me with. I'd better go find her. 'Bye, Tails!" She raced off.

"Perfect!" Ginger said to herself as she left the boys' clothing department. "A couple more meetings, and I'll have the little nerd eating out of my hand!"

Tails sighed. He hoped he could help that girl, but her boyfriend, if he was still alive, was probably a robot by now. He wished she hadn't said she was being a bother to him. Those words had cut him like a couldn't stand the thought of anyone feeling that way about him, and resolved to be a lot nicer to all of his friends. Even Amy. She _had_ meant well, after all. He decided he'd better find his mother. Who knew what sort of nightmare she was planning to make him wear next?

Tails found his mother listening to a long, rambling story by Charmy.

"…so then the football bounced off the post, and (Socko!) hits me right upside my head, and I've been wearing a helmet ever sinc, does it make my head look fat?"

"That's…fascinating, little boy," Rosemary Prower said. She noticed her son, and was relieved. "Oh, Miles! Let's see how you look!"

"I look like a geek!" Tails sobbed.

"Boy! You sure do!" Charmy said. "Hahahahahah!"

"That's not funny, young man!" Rosemary cried. "I can see you need positive role models in your life!"

"Charmy?!?" Tails cried, embarrassed that somebody he knew had seen him in this thing. He'd tell Vector and Espio, and probably everybody else! "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…um…I gotta…be going now!" Charmy cried, flying away. "'Bye-bye!"

"That was weird," Tails muttered.

"What an odd little fellow," Rosemary said. "You make some peculiar friends, son!"

"Mom, please!" Tails said. "Can I take this off before I get beat up!"

"Miles, we've been over this before," his mother told him. "Anyone that would beat you up isn't really your friend!"

"So, Vector said to Ginger," isn't he just like I told you?"

"He's so gullible!" Ginger said. "I almost feel sorry for the poor dweeb."

"So what's next?" Charmy asked.

"We all go to jail?" Espio suggested.

"Quiet, you!" Vector said.

"Next," Ginger said, "you guys come up when I'm talking to him again. You tell me that my poor, dear boyfriend didn't suvive his encounter with that perfectly dreadful Doctor Eggman."

"And then you cry on his shouder," Vector said, suddenly acting out his fantasy world. "Oh, Miles, he's gone and I'll never see him again!" he said in a squeaky voice. "Please hold me!" He switched to another voice. "Oh, Ginger, you're the only one who understands the pain I'm going through since I lost Cosmo!" He went back to the squeaky voice. "Oh Tails!" He switched again. "Oh, Ginger!"

"He's not right, is he?" Ginger asked Espio and Charmy.

"Welcome to our world!" Charmy said.

"Yeah, welcome to…that's not funny, Charmy!" Vector yelled. He started chasing the bee again.

"You guys are all nuts!" Ginger said, rolling her eyes.

"That's great," Espio said. "I need a cup of tea."

Cream looked through her clothes. All she had were childish outfits. "Mom?" she called. "Can we go shopping? I need some new clothes!" She hadn't really gotten anything during her trip with Amy.

"Are you outgrowing them?" Vanilla asked, turning on the vacuum cleaner.

"No, Mom," Cream said, raising her voice so that her mother could hear her over the sound of the vacuum. "I need something fun I can wear to a party or something."

"Party clothes?" Vanilla asked, vacuuming the pillows on the couch. "You mean bows and ruffles?"

"No, Mom," Cream said, "I mean dancing and surfing and…" she blushed. "B-b-boys!"

"Boy?" Vanilla cried, dropping the vacuum. ""You want to leave me already?" She hugged her daughter. "Am I too boring for you? I can be more fun!"

Cream sighed. "I don't wan to leave and get married, or anything like that!" she said. "But…"

"There's a boy you like, isn't there?" her mother asked her.

"Wellll…" Cream started to say. "As a matter of fact, I…Mom! The vacuum cleaner's eating the rug!"

"Oh no! That's a new carpet!"

They struggled to free the rug.

"Cheese! Pull the plug!" Cream yelled.

"Chao!" Cheese cried, pulling on the plug. "Chao chao!" The cord finally came loose.

"Oh, what a relief!" Vaniila sighed. "Vector went through a lot of trouble to get us that rug!" She looked at the vacuum. "Maybe I should have asked Tails to fix my vacuum, instead of letting Vector work on it."

"I'm sorry!" Cream said. "Please forget I said anything."

"Cream," her mother aid, putting away the vacuum. "I'm the one that's sorry. I forget that you're getting older, and naturally there are things you're curious about. Now, _is_ there a boy that you're interested in?"

"W-well," Cream said, "I…Tails is so sad, and…"

"Honey," Vanilla said, hugging her daughter. "I can see how you'd want to help Tails, but he just lost someone very special to him. You don't want to get a boy on the rebound. Trust me, if he ever called you Cosmo by mistake, it would really hurt both of you."

"I…hadn't thought of that," Cream said. "That would make us both cry."

"I'm not saying you can't ever see Tails if that's what you want," Vanilla assured her, "but not now."

Cream sighed. "I guess you're right," she said. "But I just can't go back to being silly like I was. Thinking the sun would hide if I made too much noise."

"Well, now, I did tell you that legend about the sun goddess, Amaterasu, being scared into a cave," her mother pointed out. "Isn't there another nice boy you could go to the movies with or something? What about Big? He's nice."

"Big gets lost talking about the weather," Cream said. "He fishes all the time, except when he's chasing Froggy. And he eats a lot. That's…about all he does. I mean, I like him, but…"

"Well, maybe you'll meet somebody else," her mother encouraged her. "You've always made friends everywhere you go."

"Well…" Cream said, looking away. "There's always…Bokkun."

"Absolutely not!" Vanilla said. "I'm not saying this because he's a robot. Emerl was so sweet. But Bokkun is rude and disrespectfull, and a terrible practical joker. Remember when he dropped one of those tv sets down the kitchen sink, and it blue up, and sink backed up all over the kitchen floor?"

"Yuck!" Cream said. "That I remember! But, Mom, he's not really bad. He can't help it if he's ordered to do things that are bad." It occurred to her that this was what Bokkun had told her, and she had insisted he was wrong. Here mother did the same.

"He enjoys being a little pain in the neck," Vanilla said. "He's laughed at us while robots chased our friends. He's threatened to get us. I'm sorry honey, but I have to forbid you to see him. Trust me, you can do a lot better than Bokkun."

Tails sighed with relief when his mother finally decided they were finished shopping.

"My, but you're picky about your clothes for a boy!" Rosemary said as they headed home.

"Where am I even going to wear these things?" Tails asked. "Who's going to see me in them?"

"Dear," his mother said, "you are the son of an ancient and important line. You have responsibilities. You don't really intend to spend the rest of your life fighting mad scientists and robots, do you? There are important get togethers. People of culture to deal with. Rich families with daughters…"

Tails sputtered. "Is that what this is all about?!?" he demanded. "You and Dad want to set me up with some stuck-up snob so that you two can go up in the world?"

"Miles!" his mother said, glaring at him. "Behave yourself! You're not too old for me to turn you over my knee!"

At home, Tails was forced to model all of his clothes again, even though it was obvious that his father and brother couldn't' care less.

"Still wondering why I started revolting?" Sanguine whispered as Tails passed him.

"No," Tails hissed back. "How do I make this stop?"

"Well, you can just go along with it, or you can do something so outrageous that they'll give up on you."

Tails started to ask his brother what he had done.

"Simon! Don't bother your baby brother while he's busy!"

When he was finally allowed to go to his room, he collapsed onto his bed. Exhausted, he soon fell fast asleep. He found himself standing in a bright light. Then he saw her. Cosmo! He ran to her.

"Cosmo! Oh, Cosmo! I've missed you so much!" he sobbed.

"Have you, Tails? Have you really?" Cosmo asked. She sounded very bitter.

"Oh, Cosmo!" Tails sobbed. "I'm so sorry!" I didn't want to do it! I am so very, very sorry!"

"Yes, yes, so you've said. But that doesn't bring me back, now does it?"

Tails gasped. "Do you--do you hate me now?" he asked fearfully. "Please, Cosmo! I love you!"

"Then why did you kill me?!?" she demanded. And suddenly, her eyes sank deep into her head, her cheeks shrank, her flowers wilted, and her clothes became filthy rags.

"Cosmo!!" Tails cried.

"What's the matter, Tails?" the ghoul demanded, clutching him tightly. "I thought you said you loved me! Or was that a lie too, like your promise that you'd keep me safe, or the one about my coming to live on your world? Was it all nothing but lies!?!"

Tails tried to break free, but the ghoul was much too strong for him. Far stronger than Cosmo had ever been while alive. "Cosmo?!" Tails cried. "Stop! I can't breath! You're crushing me!"

"I died for you!" Cosmo screamed. "Why shouldn't' you return the favor?"

"No!!!" Tails shrieked. "Let me go!!!"

"Join me, Tails!" Cosmo said. "We'll be together forever!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

"NOO!!!"

"Miles! Miles! Wake up, baby!"

Tails opened his eyes. "Mom?" he cried. She hugged him tight.

"It's okay, baby," Rosemary Prower said. "Mommy will chase all the bad dreams away!"

"What's wrong with me?" Tails sobbed. "How could I dream such a horrible thing about the most wonderful person that ever lived? Oh, Cosmo! You aren't the monster! I am!"

His mother tried her best to comfort him, but he didn't want to be comforted. Didn't deserve to be. "How?" he asked himself again and again. "How could I dream that? Like--like I don't even want you back anymore! What's wrong with me? I _do_ want you back, Cosmo! I do! If you little plant is you, the day you come out of it will be the most wonderful day of my life! How could I be afraid of you? If you _did_ want to take me with you, why shouldn't I go? You didn't scream or cry. You just stood there, so brave! I don't deserve you, Cosmo! I never did!"

Why would he dream she was out to get him? That she wanted revenge? Would she really blame him? She had said she didn't, but then, she had always withheld information that she had thought was too awful to tell anyone. Was his brain trying to tell him that living the way he had been would kill him?

"I'm sorry!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry!" The words won't good enough. He had no excuse for himself.

Tails cried himself back to sleep. If he had any dreams this time, he didn't remember them.

Amy Rose sighed. After searching all over for Sonic, she'd finally discovered that he had taken off on a mission halfway around the world, and hadn't even bothered to tell her! That was so like Sonic! She'd tried so hard to make him happy, and he still treated her like she was just a nuisance. Well, there was nothing to do but to go shopping.

At the mall, Amy saw Vector and Charmy clowning around as usual. Espio, like always, looked completely confused. He had seemed cool at first, but now sometimes wondered if maybe he wasn't a little slow. Wait, who was that girl? Was this who Vector was setting Tails up with? She looked like a younger version of Rouge! There was no way that this sort of girl would want to go out with little Tails. Amy developed an instant dislike for her. She moved as close as she could, hoping to overhear what they were saying. What she heard shocked her.

"How much longer is Sonic going to be out of town?" the girl asked Vector. "I don't want to have to put with 'poor me' for too long!"

"Don't worry,' Vector promised her. "Sonic's bound to show up sooner or later. We know where he lives!"

"Well, let me know when he shows up," the girl said. "I'd better go now. Can't have him see us together in case he comes back with his mommy. Seriously, those were the worst outfits I've ever seen! No wonder he's such a dweeb, with his mommy dressing him funny!"

Why, that skank! Amy was fuming. She decided to knock her upside the head with her pico-pico hammer. She started towards them.

"Hey!" she cried. The girl had disappeared into the crowd of mall shoppers. Well, she'd worry about her later! Right now, she was going to clobber that idiot, Vector!

"Oh, hi, Amy!" Vector said when he saw her. "What's up?"  
"My blood pressure!" Amy shrieked. "How could you! How could you set ppoor Tails up with such a creature?!?"

"I beat you!" Vector said.

"I was trying to find him someone to replace Cosmo" Amy cried. "That creep just wants to use him to get close to my Sonic!"

Amy proceeded to knock Vector, Espio, and Charmy upside the head.

"Call it off!" she shrieked. "Or I'll do a whole lot worse!"

Amy knew that she had to warn Tails. On the way, though, since it was closer, she couldn't resist stopping at the palace to ask where Sonic was, and when he'd be coming back. She reasoned that this stupid girl wouldn't bother Tails until Sonic was back anyway. And that was where she made a mistake that just might possibly have cost her everything.

Amy had never been taken seriously as a Freedom Fighter. Tails used to complain that everyone would look down at him, but it whad been worse for Amy. She had been told to go home and play with her dolls. She'd only gotten in when the older fighters like Bunny and Antoine had moved off across Mobius to fight Eggman's forces on other fronts. That had left a gap for her to move into. Sally still didn't care much for Amy, but she'd been trying to get Sonic to leave her alone, and that had meant trying to push Amy off on Sonic. It hadn't worked so far, but Amy was hopeful.

Unfortunately, Amy wasn't able to see Sally today, or what happened next might have been very different.

"I'm sorry, Amy," Nicole said. "Sally's too busy to speak with you now, and I don't have the authority to tell you where exactly Sonic is."

"Well, when can I talk to her?" Amy demanded. "It's kind of important!"

"I'll let you know," Nicole said, shrugging. "That's the best I can do. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Can you find me information on a monkey girl named Ginger?" Amy asked. "I believe she's got community service."

"I'll check," Nicole said, "but I have other duties to perform first. Please be patient."

"Well, thanks anyway," Amy said. She started towards Tails' house. Suddenly, something touched the back of her neck. Amy felt her body stiffen. She fell over.

Espio became visible. "Mission accomplished," he said.

Vector and Charmy came out of hiding.

"Great!" Vector said. "Konk me upside the head, will ya? Now let's tie her up in the old house in the woods until Sonic comes back and we finish setting Tails up with that cute tomato!"

"I think you're making a serious mistake!" Espio said. "Amy thinks Ginger is bad for Tails."

"Aw, she's just jealous 'cause I beat her to the punch!" Vector said. "Let's go!"

_Mother! Those "friends" of Tails have gone crazy!_

_There's nothing we can do from here, Galaxina._

_But why can't you just tell him what they're doing, Mother?_

_Because we cannot interfere with the living. We have not the permission to do so._

_But Mother! Couldn't Cosmo warn her Tails about them?_

_Cosmo is only allowed to speak to her boy about her feelings, and then only a few more times. You know that we could be punished if we do anything more. Do not tell her. She would worry about her friend. Do not worry, my dear. They will not harm her._

_They're as mad as the Metarex!_

_That's not for us to say, daughter._

_Mother? Sister? What are you talking about? You always stop when I come near._

_Do you wish to see your friends, little sister?_

_Perhaps later. I have much to think about what Maria and Molly told me. Give me a little more time, please, Oneesama. Mother._

_As you wish, daughter._

_But Mother!_

_Hush, Galaxina. Please trust your mother._

_Yes, Mother._

To be continued…


	19. Chapter 19: Charmy Versus Bokkun?

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Nineteen

"Charmy Versus Bokkun?!?"

Cream knocked on the door to her stepdaughter's room. "Come on, honey," she called. "It's time we went shopping."

"I don't want to go anywhere with you!" she heard.

Cream opened the door. The little girl in the room looked just like Cosmo, except for her two green fox tails. She stood with her arms folded, glaring at Cream.

"Close the door!" she yelled, stamping her foot. She stuck her tongue out at Cream.

"Now, now," Cream told her, "nice little girls don't stick their tongues out at their mommies."

"You're not my mother!" the little girl screamed. She picked up a stuffed toy and threw it at Cream. "You're just the woman that married my daddy when he was sad and lonely and you took advantage of him!" A second doll bounced off of Cream.

The toys didn't hurt, but the words did. Cream felt as if she'd been punched hard in the stomach. "How can you say that to me?" she sobbed. "I know I'm not your real mother. I've always tried my best to be a mother to you. I helped your daddy grow you until you were born. I fed you and changed you and helped your daddy teach you to walk and talk and read!"

"You just did those things to win Daddy over!" the little girl insisted. "Just like you won my mommy over, then stole her boyfriend from her!"

"No!" Cream cried. "I loved your mommy! She was beautiful, and kind, and…"

"And you were jealous of her!" the little girl accused. "You let her go out and fight Dark Oak all alone, and I'll never forgive you for it! Never! Never! Never!"

"Never…"

"Cream?"

"Never…"

"Cream, honey, wake up!"

"Nev…huh?" Cream sat up in bed, shaking. She looked around. "Wha-what happened?"

"You were crying out in your sleep, dear," Vanilla said. "Was it robots or monsters this time?"

"Worse," Cream said. "I…" She decided not to tell her mother about this dream. Vanilla had already warned her not to go after Tails when he was so vulnerable. She'd have to tell Amy to forget whatever she had planned. When she saw her again, that was. Amy hadn't called or come to see her all day yesterday. So she was probably planning some scheme to win her Tails.

"A friend of mine was mad at me, and I couldn't make them like me anymore," she said at last. It wasn't exactly a lie, but Cream felt bad about not going into detail. She normally told her mother everything.

Tails spent about half of his time now working on his pet invention, which he'd told no one about so far, and the rest of the time on a greenhouse. Cosmo's plant was getting too big for the flower pot. As soon as he had the building properly protected from the elements, he was going to ask Cream to help him transplant the flower. He was terrified at the thought that one little mistake at this time, and the plant could die, killing any hope he might have for… Well, for what, exactly? He had no idea how Seedrians grew. How they were born. What to feed one if this turned out not to be Cosmo but her child. And what if this wasn't even an intelligent plant, just a rose bush or something? It occurred to him that he might be able to find some answers on the Green Planet. Maybe there were DNA books there or something. But traveling there would be a long and difficult trip, and he had no emeralds to power the Blue Typhoon now. He could use fakes, but there weren't enough of those left to get there and back. And, of course, he couldn't go alone, and he couldn't ask anyone to come with him. They'd just look pityingly at him and shake their heads.

Tails was relieved that his parents were finally starting to leave him alone most of the time. Maybe they were giving up on him. Well, why not? He'd pretty much given up on himself.

"Just marking off time until I'm with you again," he said out loud. "I'm trying, Cosmo. Please help me to find my way through life until we're together again."

"I'll finish this tomorrow," Tails finally decided, closing the door to the greenhouse. The thought of digging out Cosmo's plant's root and moving it around, completely helpless, made him shiver. He needed a cool head to do that.

It was still hot, but the wind had changed. Green leaves were starting to turn red and yellow and orange. Autumn had come. "Green growing things are dying," he thought gloomily as he went into his house. "The old making way for the new. But Cosmo wasn't old! She was just my age!" But Tails felt old now.

In his living room, Tails found his brother still snoring away on his couch. Sanguine hadn't done any crazy stuff since their parents had shown up. Tails realized he was actually a bit disappointed. His brother had livened things up a little. Now, Tails had to worry about playing sports he wasn't good at, and getting clothes he wouldn't want to be caught dead in. He hated thinking this way, but he was relieved his mom and dad had decided to annoy the king and Princess Sally today instead of him. They had made an appointment to discuss Eggman security measures. Tails had passed on going along. His father's discussions with the king tended to turn into shouting matches, and very little ever actually got done.

"Move over," Tails said, nudging his brother.

"Huh? What? Oh, hey, Miles."

"Tails," Tails corrected.

"That's what I said, 'Miles'," his brother insisted. "So what's up?"

Tails rolled his eyes. What was the use? "How do you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?" his brother asked. "Wear this ensemble? You got the brains, I got the flair for fashion."

"No," Tails said, " I mean, how do you go through life with no goals? Don't you want to do anything with your life?"

"Sure," Sanguine said. "I want to make and eat the world's biggest pizza!"

"I'm serious!" Tails told him. "You should go back to school once it reopens. Make something of yourself."

"I don't know, Miles," his brother said. "I was never the scholar you are, or the jock dad was. I was class clown in school. They voted me most likely to end up on welfare."

"But isn't there anything you want to do?" Tails insisted. "Something you'd like to pursue?"

"Well," Sanguine said finally, "I always wanted to make manga."

"You…want to…draw comic books," Tails said.

"Nah, just kidding," Sanguine said. "Had you going, didn't I?" He got up and left the room.

Tails sighed. Now he'd embarrassed his brother for opening up to him. "I just can't do anything right!" he said to himself. Well, maybe that was why Cosmo had died. Maybe if she'd gone out with Knuckles, she'd've been all right. She had seemed to like him at first. Maybe he should have let her keep seeing him. Maybe he was just a jinx. Jinxes survived because their enemies suffered as much as their friends. Or maybe he was cursed or something. Did something in a previous life that he was being punished for in this one. Funny, he'd never believed in reincarnation before. Now it was his most fervent hope.

Amy would know more about that sort of thing. She was reading tarot cards for everybody these days. Dousing for water. Carrying crystals around. The fact that she had actually contacted Cosmo from beyond had convinced her that she had powers. Well, who was he to say that she didn't? What had Chris' grandpa said? Lucky at cards, unlucky at love? So maybe the opposite was true. In which case, Tails should be even better at cards than Amy.

Maybe Amy did know things. She _had _gotten Cosmo to speak with them. Even though what she'd said had broken his heart all over again. He got up and went to his workshop. Cosmo's flower was still growing. He kissed two fingers, then gently, oh so gently, stroked the flower. If he harmed it in any way… But he couldn't allow himself to think that way. He sighed. "I don't know who you are," he said softly. "Maybe you're my Cosmo, maybe you're her child. But I do know that I love you, and I want to make you happy. If you are Cosmo, I swear I'll make it up to you. All the months I ignored you, all those times I wasn't paying attention when you'd speak to me, all these months you're gone from me because of what I did to you, I'll make them up to you. I can never pay you back for the terrible thing I did to you, but I'll spend the rest of my life trying. If you're her baby, I hope you won't spend your life full of hatred towards me. Not that I don't deserve it, for taking your mother away from you, but because living in hatred isn't healthy, as your mother could have told you if she were here. And I want you to be healthy and happy. What was it that Cosmo asked me to do? Live, love, laugh, and be happy. And whoever you are, that's my wish for you." He walked away, rubbing at his eyes.

After awhile, his mother came home, muttering to herself. "That king is just impossible to get along with!" She stormed through the house. "Simon! Sit up straight! Where's Miles?"

"In his room, I think?" Sanguine said. "Where's Dad?"

"Still arguing," his mother said. "For all the good it ever does!"

"Miles, honey," Rosemary Prower said, knocking on Tails' bedroom door. "I just picked up the cutest little beanie for you on my way home from the palace!"

"Still no sign of Sonic!" Ginger said, annoyed. "And that twit Tails won't come out of his house! What's he doing in there, making monsters?"

"Nah, Tails isn't into monsters," Vector said. "He's probably building a new plane or automobile or something."

"Yeah," Charmy agreed. "He's a regular Doctor Crankenstein!"

"You're weird," Espio said.

"You know, Vector," Charmy said, "I don't think my girl, Saffron, is going to like it if she finds out I'm helping you keep Amy tied up in that spooky old house. Shouldn't somebody go feed her?"

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," Vector said.

"Yeah, unless we want a murder rap," Espio said.

Vector thought about that. "Go feed her!" he told Charmy.

"Oh no! Not me!" Charmy insisted, backing away. "She's so angry by now, she'll kill us all if she gets loose! Besides, she bites!"

"Fine," Espio said, "I'll feed her. You're a coward." He turned and walked away.

"Aw, he's no fun to be around anyway," Vector said. "So, how do we get Tails out of his house?"  
"Some detective!" Ginger said, rolling her eyes.

They were hiding in the bushes outside of Tails' house. "I'll handle this myself, you morons!" Ginger told them. She took off her robe. She'd been wearing it so that no one would see that she had on the hideous pink dress she'd modeled for Tails at the mall. She had her reputation to think about, after all.

Ginger walked slowly up Tails' driveway, acting very nervous. She knocked on the front door.

Tails' mother answered it. Ginger had been hoping to have Tails open the door for it, but she adjusted quickly. "Excuse me, Ma'am, I--does Miles live here?"

"Why, yes, he does," Rosemary said. "And you would be…"

"Ginger, ma'am," the monkey girl said. "I--I need to see Miles, please. It's very important."

"Miles really doesn't feel much like visitors these days, young lady," Rosemary said, "but you look so adorable in that pretty pink dress of yours, that I'll see what I can do."

"Perfect!" Ginger said to herself. "I knew looking like a dweeb would appeal to a dweeb's mother!" She'd been hoping to avoid Rosemary Prower, since she'd heard the woman was very clever. But she seemed kind of gullible.

Rosemary found Tails just heading towards his workshop. "Hold on there, young man!" she called.

Tails sighed. "What is it now, Mom?"

"There's a girl here to see you," his mother said. "And don't take that attitude with me!"

"A girl?" Tails said. He hoped it wasn't another blind date.

"She says her name is Ginger, and she has on the cutest little pink dress with bows and ruffles all over it! Just like the dresses I used to put on you when you were a baby, do you remember?"

"Of course, I don't remember when…" Tails winced. Now he did! Man, his mother wanted a girl! "Thanks for dredging up _that _lost memory, Mom!" Something else to tell his therapist.

"Do you know her?" his mother demanded.

Tails was trying to once again suppress a memory of him being laughed at by his older boy cousins for wearing a dress, and the part about a girl wanting to see him had completely slipped his mind. "Who?"

"The girl in the pretty pink dress," his mother said. "Ginger?"

"Oh. Right," Tails said. The girl he'd met at the mall. How had she known where he lived? Oh, right. She knew that he was Sonic the Hedgehog's best friend. She probably just asked around.

Tails went through the house, wondering what he was going to say to her.

"Miles!" She was still wearing that hideous pink dress.

"Oh, Ginger," Tails said. "Um…hi. I'm sorry, but I still haven't heard from Sonic yet. He's out of town right now."

"Well, is there anything you can do, Miles?" Ginger asked, pouting. "I've heard you're ever so smart and clever."

"Um, well, I have friends that can help," Tails told her. "Amy Rose and Knuckles for instance. Only I haven't heard from either of them for awhile." He wondered if Amy had followed Sonic? It would be just like her. No, she'd've come to Tails, demanding her jet that he'd built for her for their space adventure. Without a plane, she couldn't keep up if Sonic really started moving.

"Miles," his mother said, "invite your little friend in for some tea and cookies."

"Uh…would you like to come in and…have some tea and cookies?" Tails asked, knowing better than to argue with his mother.

"Sure," Ginger said. "I mean…if it wouldn't be too much bother?"

"Not at all, dear," Rosemary said, placing a hand on Ginger's shoulder. "Come in, come in! Miles! Show your little friend to the dining room while I get a tray ready."

Tails rolled his eyes. "This way, please," he said.

Ginger repeated her story to Tails' mother, starting every so often to sob and dab at her eyes with a handkerchief. She was careful not to blow her nose. That might just louse up the whole "poor me" bit with a stuck up woman like Rosemary Prower, Ginger thought. But making points with Tails' mom would end up making points with him, she was sure.

"That is so sad, dear," Rosemary said when Ginger finished her story about her imaginary boyfriend. "You don't need that Sonic boy. Did you know that he used to pick his nose when he was little?"

"Mom!" Tails cried.

"Sonic the Nosepicker!" Ginger said to herself, holding her handkerchief over her mouth to muffle the snorts. Yes! Some dirt on the Blue Blur was just what she needed! One could never have too much blackmail material!

Once she had a grip on herself, Ginger said, "Oh, but that could make your nose bleed! I hope you didn't have any bad habits like that, Miles!"

Tails started to say he hadn't, but his mother said, "Well, as a matter of fact, I'm afraid that little Miles used to copy that boy all the time. Nicky Parlouzer liked chili dogs, then Miles Prower had to as well!"

"Mom!" Tails moaned.

"So Sonic's real name is Nicky…Loser?" Ginger said to herself. "This just keeps getting better and better! Come on, old hag! Spill more beans for little Ginger to pick up!"

"Mom, please!" Tails cried. "You shouldn't be gossiping about my friends!"

Rosemary waved him off. "Have some more tea, dear," she said.

Tails hadn't touched his tea. "I'm fine," he said.

Ginger giggled. "Can you imagine? I can see Sonic…picking his nose, and…and Doctor Eggman saying, 'I can pick bigger boogers than that! Ho ho ho! And then he starts picking his nose too!"

"What?!?" Tails cried, spilling his tea on his chest. It was hot, but he struggled not to yell. He was embarrassed enough already. "That…that's so…stupid!"

"Now, now, Miles," his mother said. "You shouldn't be rude to your guest. And please try not to spill your tea, dear. Or do you need a bib?"

"No, I don't need a bib!" Tails said. To himself, he thought, "I need a normal family! I need parents who won't embarrass me in public! I need a big brother who acts like a big brother! I need…I need Cosmo! I could put up with all of this nonsense if she were just here with me!"

"Miles, inside voice, dear," Rosemary said. "Now, Ginger, dear, tell me something about your parents."

"Well," Ginger said. Luckily, she'd made up all sorts of lies about her family for just this occasion. Tails leaned back in his chair as he realized Ginger was going to be awhile.

Cream, unable to find Amy anywhere, had decided to ask Tails if he knew where she was. Naturally, she couldn't help but notice Vector and Charmy hiding behind the bushes in Tails' yard.

"What are you two doing/" Cram asked.

"Oh,hi, Cream," Charmy said, nervously. "Um, Vector and I were just…what were we doing, Vector?"

"We're not doing anything," Vector said.

"Right," Charmy agreed, nodding his head. "We're not spying on Tails! Whoops!"

"Shut up, Charmy!" Vector said.

"Why are you two spying on Tails?" Cream demanded.

"Um…well…you tell her, Vector!" Charmy said.

"Thanks a lot, kid!" Vector said. "Um…yeah, well, you see, Creamy Cream, we…hey! I think I hear your mom calling you!"

Cream put her hands on her hips. "I have excellent hearing," she pointed out, "and I didn't hear anything at all!"

"Sure you did,' Vector said desperately. He tried to throw his voice: "Cream? Where are you, my precious little baby?" He grinned. "There, you see?"

Cream tapped her foot. "Just how dumb do you think I am?" she demanded. Actually, that might have worked on her not too long ago. But Cream had been doing a lot of growing up lately. This kind of baloney wasn't going to work on her anymore.

"I don't know," Charmy said. "How dumb are you?"

"Charmy!" Vector yelled. "You're not helping!"

"Well, anyway," Cream said, "if you'll both excuse us, Cheese and I are going to go see Tails."

"No!" Vector cried, jumping in front of her. "You can't see Tails now!"

"Why can't I see Tails?" Cream demanded.

"Uh…well…you see," Vector said. "I…uh…what was the question again?"

"Why can't I see Tails?" Cream repeated.

"Why can't you see Tails?" Vector asked. "Uh, well, you see…he's not home!"

"Yeah, that's the ticket!" Charmy agreed.

"Oh?" Cream said. "Then where is he?"

Vector and Charmy pointed at each other. "Ask him!" they said together, then glared at each other. "You tell her!" they both said, still talking in stereo.

"Are you two fibbing to me?" Cream demanded.

"Hey!" Vector said. "That's not a nice thing to say to your elders, young lady! Maybe your mother should know how rude you were just now!"

"Maybe my mother should know that you two are hiding outside of Tails' house while he's not home!"

Cream started flapping her ears. She rose in the air, and took off towards home.

"Oh boy!" Vector said, slapping his forehead. "We're in the soup now! Quick, Charmy! Go stop her!"

"Uh, okay," Charmy said. He took off after Cream.

Cream looked back over her shoulder. Something was definitely going on around here. Why else would Charmy be chasing her now? She swerved and picked up speed.

"Hey, Cream! Wait up!" Charmy cried.

"Go away, Charmy," Cream said. "Or I'll tell my mother!"

"Chao chao!" Cheese said angrily.

"No, Cheese," Cream said quietly, "I don't want to hurt Charmy. I just want to get home. Don't attack, just distract him!"

So Cheese buzzed around Charmy's face.

"Hey!" Charmy cried, swiping at the chao. "Go 'way!"

"Chao chao!" Cheese cried, taking a bite out of Charmy's hand.

"Yow!" Charmy cried. "Let go! Let go!" He slung his arm, and Cheese went flying.

"Oh! Cheese!" Cream cried. "Leave us alone, Charmy! Or I'll tell Amy!"

"Hahahahah! I'm not scared of Amy anymore!" Charmy said.

"What are you talking about?" Cream demanded, as Charmy tried to grab her. She flew straight up, started a flip, and glared at him while upside-down.

"Let's just say Amy's all tied up at the moment!" Charmy said. "Oops!"

Cream gasped. She remembered when Vector had grabbed her and Cheese, and Cosmo had slipped into the burlap bag they were in when Vector wasn't looking. The Chaotix were usually nice, but they _had_ done some bad things.

"What are you and Vector doing?" Cream asked.

"Um…well," Charmy said. "I…could you land please. I gotta talk to you for a minute!"

"I'm not falling for that old trick!" Cream said. "What do you want to say to me?"

"Well, I…uh…" Charmy was stumped there.

"I thought so!" Cream said, speeding up again.

Charmy fixed his goggles and speed up himself.

"Go away!" Cream cried. "Quit following me, Charmy! I mean it!"

Bokkun, who had just stolen a pie he'd found cooling in someone's window, was about to take a huge bite when he heard Cream yelling. He looked up.

"It's Cream!" he cried, dropping the pie. "And that bee's bugging her! Hang on, Creamy! I'll save you! Da da da da dada!" Bokkun flew right at Charmy. CRASH! They collided head on, knocking themselves silly. They both fell like rocks.

"Bokkun rushed to my rescue!" Cream thought. "Huh. I guess he really does have some good points after all. Gee, now I feel bad for being mean to him at the beach!"

"Are you okay, Bokkun?" Cream asked, landing.

"I will be, as soon as somebody answers that phone," Bokkun said. "It just keeps ringing and ringing and ringing and…"

"I think you have a ringing in your ears," Cream said. Wait. Were those ears, or horns? What was he, anyway? Well, something to worry about another time. "How about you, Charmy? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Charmy said. "I'm just fine!"

"Good!" Cream said, glaring down at him. "Then you can tell me what you and Vector have been up to at Tails' house! And what you meant by saying Amy was all tied up!"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about?" Charmy said nervously.

"You're still fibbing to me!" Cream accused him. "Bokkun? Do you have your camera?"

"Uh…sure!" Bokkun said, hoping she didn't want to look at the pictures inside. He hadn't erased the pictures he'd taken of her at the beach yet.

"Could you take a picture of me?" Cream asked, smiling.

"Oh boy! I sure can!" Bokkun said. He staggered about, got his bag from where he'd dropped it, then fumbled for his camera. He found a tv set and said. "Huh! I was supposed to give this to Sonic, but he's been out of town! Oh well!" He tossed it. KA-BOOM! "Oops!"

"Hurry up, Bokkun!" Cream cried. Charmy had tried to make a run for it, but Cream had trapped him in an arm lock she'd learned from Knuckles.

"Hey!" Charmy cried. "Stop it! You're hurting me!"

"Bokkun!" Cream yelled.

"Okay, okay!" Bokkun said. "Say 'Cheese!'" As Bokkun started to take the picture, Cream suddenly kissed Charmy on the cheek. "Hey! What'd you do that for? _I'm_ your knight in shining armor!"

"Cream!" Charmy cried. "I've got a girlfriend now! Saffron wouldn't like it if she saw pictures of other girls kissing me!"

"Then you'd better tell me everything you know about Vector and Tails and Amy!" Cream demanded.

"You-you wouldn't!" Charmy cried.

He was right. Cream wouldn't really do such a mean thing to him. But Charmy didn't know that. So he told Cream and Bokkun everything. Vector. Ginger. Tails. And Amy.

Cream gasped. "You locked Amy up in the old haunted house?!?" she cried.

"Yeah, well, it sounded like a good idea at the time," Charmy said.

"Bokkun," Cream said. "I'll warn Tails about Ginger. You go and free Amy!"

"But…I can't!" Bokkun sobbed.

"What?" Cream cried. "Why can't you?"

"It's a haunted house!" Bokkun cried. "The boogeymen'll get me!"

Cream smacked her forehead. "Okay, then, you warn Tails, and I'll go free Amy!" She just hoped that Tails would listen to Bokkun.  
"What about him?" Bokkun asked.

Cream reached into a pocket and pulled out a yo-yo. She'd decided that she needed another weapon besides Cheese, and Chris' grandpa had said once that yo-yos were originally made as weapons. The yo-yo was metal, so it would really hurt. The string was made of the same kind of nylon that mountain climbers used, so it should be strong enough to hold Charmy, she decided. They tied him up with it.

"Hey!" Charmy yelled. "You complain about us tying up Amy, then you tie me up!?"

"I'm sorry," Cream said, "but I can't trust you right now not to go tell Vector what I'm doing. But don't worry, I'll be right back to untie you. I'm not locking you up like you did to Amy!"

She turned to Bokkun. "I'm counting on you to warn Tails about this Ginger girl, Bokkun. Don't let me down."

"No way!" Bokkun said, saluting. He flew towards Tails' house. Cream watched him go, then turned back to Charmy.

"Shame, shame, shame on you!" Cream said, shaking her finger at the bee. "I thought you were a nice person! I'm very disappointed in you, Charmy!" Then she took off towards the old house. Ghosts didn't bother her…much. She'd met a few on Earth.

Unfortunately for Cream, she'd completely forgotten about Espio in her worrying about Tails and Amy, not to mention the fact that Espio could turn invisible. But she'd remember soon enough.


	20. Chapter 20: I Ain't Scared of No Ghost

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty

"I Ain't Scared Of no Ghost"

Espio had found that feeding Amy wasn't as easy as he had thought. Despite being tried up, she'd managed to dump the food he'd brought her on his head. He could feel it oozing down the back of his neck.

"You keep me loked up all this time, and then give me cereal?!?" Amy shrieked. "Just give me five seconds free, and I'll kick your keester!"

"Maybe you're just not hungry enough yet," Espio said, trying to wipe of the soggy mess.

"I want eggs and toast and orange juice!" Amy demanded.

"I'm not a short order cook," Espio said. He'd actually tried being one once, when he'd decided working with Vector was going to drive him crazy. After three weeks, he was back at Vector's doorstep.

"And where are those curtains I described to Charmy?" Amy went on. "And I'm bored! Get me some magazines! Or better yet, a television set!"

"You're a prisoner, not a guest!" Espio pointed out. Amy didn't seem to understand how being abducted was supposed to work. She was supposed to beg him to release her.

"That's beside the point!" Amy yelled. "When Sonic finds out about this, he's gonna kill all three of you!" She struggled to get loose for about the thousandth time. "If I don't do it first!"

"Sonic doesn't feel the same way about you that you feel about him," Espio said. "He'll be angry, but not any more so than he was when Vector grabbed Cream."

"Hey! Sonic was furious that day at you idiots!" Amy pointed out. "You're lucky he didn't tear you morons apart!"

Actually, thinking back, Espio realized Sonic _had_ looked really mad when he'd go shown up to rescue Cream and Cosmo.

"Look, don't worry," Espio said nervously. "We'll let you go as soon as Vector's plan is completed."

"Are you insane?!" Amy demanded. "Do you actually think that Tails is going to fall for that skank you're trying to set him up with? Hanging around Vector has turned your mind into coffee grounds!"

"I can't deal with this," Espio said, running a hand across his forehead. "I need to meditate."

Amy fumed as he sat down on the floor and started to hum. If only she could get free! She was allowed to walk a few steps from where she was before she was literally at the end of her rope. Visions of torturing the Chaotix danced through her head. Oh, where _was_ Sonic? Couldn't he _feel_ that she was in danger?

Espio looked up. Was that wind he'd just heard? Funny there'd been none when he'd come here. He gagged Amy, blindfolded her, then turned invisible. He moved to the broken window. Cream the Rabbit was coming. Had Charmy told? Then Espio noticed her face. She seemed very nervous, looking about as she approached.

"That's right," he thought. "This old house is supposed to be haunted." Actually, he'd been over the entire building, and had found no psychic trace of spirits. But the rumors gave him an idea.

Cream landed and looked around. It was a sunny day, but in this part of the woods, the trees blocked most of the light, leaving the old house in permanent gloom. Cream headed slowly towards the old house. It sagged on one side. Whatever color is had once been painted, it was gone now. Bare wooden beams and bricks seemed crooked, as if they were reaching for the ground. They were actually sagging with age and retained water from the rains, but Cream didn't know any of that. She was really relieved that Cheese was with her.

Cream swallowed. She remembered the ghost stories her friends used to tell, first on Earth with Chris and Danny and Frances, then on Mobius over a year ago. The story Helen had told had made her scream. Helen had seemed so sweet, it was a surprise when she contributed such a scary story. Maybe, deep down, she had been bitter that everyone else could walk. Cream missed Chris, but she thought he should try to find a way to make Helen able to walk before he came back to Mobius again. She just wished she'd be able to watch Helen take her first steps.

Cream and Cheese were now at the front door. "Ghosts aren't really so bad, right?" she asked, cuddling the chao.

"Chao?" Cheese said. "Chao chao!"

"Yeah, you're right," Cream said. "Good people would be good ghosts. Bad people would be bad ghosts. Who was supposed to have died here? I can't remember." She shook her head. "But that doesn't matter! What's important is that Amy's in there, and we have to rescue her!"

They heard a moan. "What was that?" Cream whispered. "It…can't be a ghost, right? It's probably just Amy!"

"Chao chao?"

"You're right, Cheese," Cream agreed. "If Amy's moaning, then she might be hurt or sick! She's been locked up in there a long time!" For a second, Cream wondered if maybe there _was _a ghost there now. If Amy might have…No! No, she couldn't let herself think like that! Amy had to be all right! Cream had lost Cosmo. Maybe, just maybe, she was losing Tails too! She couldn't lose Amy!

Cream tried the doorknob. It turned. She took a deep breath, then pushed the door open.

CRREEEEAAAAKKKK!!!

"If I ever come back here, I gotta oil those hinges!" she thought. She couldn't deal with that sound again!

Inside, it was so dark, she could barely see anything. She gulped, then stepped into the old house.

Amy struggled furiously. Espio had just stuffed her in the closet without saying a word to her. The creaking door told her that someone had just come in. Espio hiding her told her that it wasn't Vector or Charmy. She hoped it wasn't Mighty or Ray. They were stupid enough to go along with anything Vector said. Maybe it was Julie-Su. She was smart enough to set Amy free. Whoever it was, there was a chance they'd help Amy. If they only knew she was there! She tried to cry out. The result was a weird, gurgled groan. She hoped she didn't scare whoever it was away!

Cream froze. That sounded like a girl's moan! It was probably Amy! But where was she? Cream scolded herself for not thinking to bring a flashlight. She could barely see in here!

Something brushed against her. Cream gasped. Then she heard a whispered voice say, "Get out! Get out!'

Bokkun flew in Tails' open window. There was the girl, talking to Tails. He started to call out, then stopped. If Tails dumped this girl, then Cream would be free to go after him, and Bokkun would lose her for good. He hid behind the couch. On the other hand, if he didn't warn Tails, Cream would be angry at him. Being good was so hard!

"Such a nice girl," Tails' mother said a few minutes later, when Ginger excused herself to go to the bathroom. "You could do a lot worse, dear."

"Mom!" Tails gasped. "We're just friends! I've told you, I don't want another girl!"

"Miles, I think it's sweet that you're still loyal to a girl that died tragically, but she'd dead, dear. What, four, five months now? You need to move on, honey."

"Never!" Tails cried. Why couldn't she understand? She was his mother! Mothers were supposed to understand, weren't they?

"Lower your voice!" Rosemary Prower hissed. "She'll hear you!"

Bokkun decided to see what the girl was up to. He flew through Tails' house. He'd never been in here before, so he at first went the wrong way and ended up in the kitchen. Oh well! He opened the refrigerator. "Gobble gobble gobble gobble gobble!"

"Bokkun!" he suddenly heard in his head. "Did you warn Tails yet?" He gulped, then, checking to make sure that neither Tails nor his mother saw him, flew the other way down Tails' hall. Ah, man, he hated having a conscience! The bathroom door was open, and a cute monkey in a fairy princess dress was going through Tails' medicine cabinet.

"Whoa!" Bokkun said. "She's gorgeous!" He shook his head. "No!" he scolded himself. "You love Cream! Idiot!"

The girl took a bandage and placed it on her knee, even though she didn't have any boo-boos as far as Bokkun could tell. "Oh, hi!" she said, turning towards Bokkun. They stared at each other. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Think fast, Bokkun!" the little robot said to himself. "Hi! I'm Bokkun!" he said. "Pleased to meet you!"

"You a friend of Tails?" Ginger asked.

"Nope!" Bokkun said, lowering his voice. "I hear you're here to make trouble for him!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ginger said. "If you're not his friend, I'm calling Tails' mother!"

"No no no no no!" Bokkun said quickly. From what he'd heard, Tails' mother was really scary. "I work for Doctor Eggman. I know you're trying to hurt that stupid yellow fox, and I want in on it!"

"Eggman, huh?" Ginger said. "At last, the big time!"

"I don't get it, though," Bokkun said. "What did you think you'd find in Tails' medicine chest? And why'd you search through it with the door open?"

"Just nosy," Ginger said. "And I thought I'd put a bandage on and say I got an owie! That's always good for sympathy. You can get away with a lot if you're cute," she bragged.

"You said it! Hahah…mff!"

"Shut up, you crazy loon!" Ginger hissed, holding her hand over Bokkun's mouth. "I'm a guest here. I'm betting you just snuck in!"

"Oh yeah!" Bokkun said.

"So," Ginger said, "what does the Egghead have to offer me to work with him?"

"Uh…well," Bokkun said, "he…um…he might send you a giant robot if you've got something good on Tails or Sonic."

"But what's in it for me?" Ginger insisted.

"Oh," Bokkun said, "well, uh…" Man, this girl was a jerk! "Uh…everybody that helps the doctor take over Mobius will be richly rewarded." Bokkun wished he had a script. Thinking so fast was making his head hurt.

"I want to be famous!" Ginger said. "I want the whole world to know about me!"

"Oh," Bokkun said, "um…everybody knows the doctor, so everybody'll know you when they find out you're working for him!" Actually, Doctor Eggman didn't like to share credit with anyone. He'd probably string this crazy girl along, then roboticize her when she got on his nerves. She was on Bokkun's nerves already, and he was a robot!

"We'll talk later," the girl said. "Get lost now, before the dweeb or his fat mother see you."

Fat? Tails' mother hadn't seemed fat to him. He didn't like girls that were too skinny. The more Bokkun knew about this girl, the less he liked her. Rouge acted mean, and had sure scared him with her threats of telling everybody that he liked Cream, but she seemed okay deep down. "Okay," he told her. "I'll see you later!" He jumped out the bathroom window, right into a rose bush. "Owie owie owie!"

Ginger slammed the window shut. Idiot! When she got what she wanted from Eggman, she'd get rid of him and be queen of Mobius!

Bokkun crawled out of the rose bush and into a thicker bush that didn't have anything in it to hurt him. He'd just have to watch and wait until that girl left to talk to Tails.

Cream shrieked. Something had just touched her face in the dark! She nearly ran out the door. She couldn't see any thing. Espio didn't even enter her head. She felt her heart pounding. "Wh-who-who's there?" she stammered.

"Uh…I am the ghost of this house!" Espio said. "Woo! I-I died when I…fell down the stairs and…uh…broke my neck. Yeah, that's it! When I walk, I have to look over my shoulder to see where I'm going! Woo! Get out of my house!"

"But I-I'm looking for my friend, Amy," Creram said. "Have you seen her, Mister Ghost?"

"Only the spirits walk these halls," Espio said, really getting into it now. "They sense your warm blood! Go, before they come to sample it!"

Cream was just about to leave when she heard a banging sound. "What's that?" she asked.

"Oh, that's…hang on a second," Espio said. He went to the closet, opened the door, and tossed in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich he'd been savingg for later. "Quiet!" he hissed. "Here, eat this! I'll get you something else later!" Amy kicked him in the shin.

"Idiot!" Amy muttered through her gag. She was blindfolded, so she couldn't see whatever it was he'd just given her, tied up, so she couldn't get it, and gagged, so she couldn't eat it!

Espio returned to Cream, limping. "Who was that?" Cream asked.

"Are you still here?" Espio asked, rubbing his shin. "Uh…an ngry spirit. We don't get along."

"Oh," Cream said. "That's too bad. It's sad that even the dead fight with each other."

"Yes, it is," Espio agreed.

"But didn't either of you see a girl in a red dress?" Cream asked. "Or a crocodile? Or…"

Espio realized that line of thought would quickly lead to her figuring out the "ghost" was him. "I…I chased them all away," he said quickly. "They didn't belong here! They didn't tie up your friend and hide her here!"

"Oh," Cream said, starting to leave. "Sorry to have disturbed you." She bowed. "Sayonara!"

"Sayonara," Espio said. As he bowed, his stomach rumbled.

Cream stopped. "What was that?" "Uh…I moaned," Espio said. "Wooo!"

"That sounded like a tummy growl," Cream said. "You must be one of the hungry ghosts I've heard about."

"Uh…yes!" Espio said. He'd heard tales about the hungry ghosts from his sensei. He could fake something here. "Yes, for the crimes I committed in life, I must wander forever hungry. Alas! It has been three hundred years since I've had a bite to eat!" "Wow!" Cream said, her eyes getting big. "Three hundred years without food?! You must be really hungry by now!" She'd been going to Tails' house to bring him food every day, but she could make him more. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cream puff. "Here, Mr. Ghost! I'd hate to leave you hungry!"

"Uh…thanks," Espio said. Cream and Cheese saw the pastry float in the air. Then they sw bites appear in it. It quickly vanished completely. "Mm…that was good!" Espio said. "Thank you Cr…little living person!" He'd almost blown it there!

"You're welcome!" Cream said.

"Chao chao!" Cheese added.

Cream and Cheese weer just going out the door when there was a series of bangs from the closet.

"Maybe the angry spirit would be less angry if it gets some food!" Cream suggested, pulling out another pastry. "Uh…I'll take it to the…angry spirit!" Espio said, taking it from Cream. Getting rid of her was proving to be a lot more difficult than he had thought! Who would have guessed that the little bunny would want to make friends with ghosts?!? "Here," he hissed, opening the closet door again. "Eat this and be qauiet, you little…"

Amy concentrated until she could feel a vein stand out on her forehead. Normally, her hammers only appeared in her hands. But that would be of little use to her now. Pop! A pico-pico hammer appeared right over Espio's head. With no one to hold onto it, gravity pulled it down…right onto Espio's head. Gong! Espio fell over on his face.

"I'm so sorry your fiend Sonic hasn't returned yet," Ginger told Tails. She was just finishing her tea. At least his mother wasn't too cheap to serve the good stuff. "I'll try to get some people together, and raid Eggman's headquarters to find your friend," Tails promised. :The people I'd look up normally seem to be out of town, unfortunately." Not only was Sonic out on a mission, but Amy had disappeared, and Cream hadn't shown up like she usually did every day. And Knuckles…well, who cared what he was doing? Probably letting Rouge sweet talk the Master Emerald out of him, then chasing her down to get it back. Still, it hurt that Cream and Amy had both disappeared on him without a word.

"Oh," Ginger said, setting down her tea cup. "What about these detectives I've heard about? The…Chaos Sticks?"

"Chaotix?" Tails corrected. "Uh…that---might prove interesting." But he still hadn't forgiven them for kidnapping Cream and Cosmo on the Blue Typhoon.

"Well, I'd better be going," Ginger said. "Thank you so very much for your time, Miles." She curtseyed. "And thank you for the tea, lovely young lady," she said to Tails' mother. Old women loved being called young and lovely.

"You're such a nice girl," Rosemary said. "I'm sure Miles can help you."

Bokkun peeked out from the bush he was hiding in as Ginger stepped out of Tails' house. Once she'd walked down the driveway, turned left, and walked out of sight, he crawled out of the bush. He flew into Tails' window.

"Hey, Tails!" he said.

Tails stared at him. "What do think you're doing in my house?!?" he demanded. What if Bokkun hurt him mother?

"Listen!" Bokkun said. "I got a message for you!"

"Oh no!" Tails said. "No exploding tv sets in my house!"

"What?" Bokkun said. "No, you idiot! I don't mean from the doctor! The message I'm supposed to deliver is from…" He was interrupted by a scream. Bokkun and Tails both turned towards the sound. Pow! Tails' mother hit Bokkun with a broom.

"Ow!" Bokkun cried. "Hey, cut it out!"

"You're a robot!" Tails' mother cried. "Eggman sent you to hurt my little baby, Miles! Don't worry, precious, Mommy will protect you from the big, scary monster!"

"Big, scary…" Tails was a lot taller than Bokkun, and his mom was a lot taller than Tails! "Listen!" Bokkun tried again. "Cream said…Ow!"

Rosemary started to chase Bokkun around the house.

"Disgusting!" she cried. "Get out of my house, you little vermin!" Bokkun was scared of Cream's mother, ut she was sweet, even when angry, compared to Tails' mom.

"But Tails…Ow! I gotta tell you…Ow! Amy is in the…Ow!"

Bokkun decided to get out of there. He flew out the window and out of sight. He stopped then, and ladned. "I-I tried, Cream," he moaned. "I did my best." But trying didn't do any good if you failed. Cream would be so disappointed in him. She'd never go out with now!

"I…I'll just have to…sneak around, and see if I can find Tails without that scary mom of his!" He flew around to the back of Tails' house. Huh. A greenhouse. That was new! No, he had to focus! The windows in the back of the house were closed. He couldn't see Tails in any of them. Now what?

Bokkun gasped as what he had done suddenly fully hit him. He had let Cream go to the old haunted house all by herself! Well, that cheese ball was with her, but what good was that little guy? Bokkun realized he should go and see how she was. But he was afraid to go alone. There were boogeymen out there! No, somehow he had to get Tails to go there. But how? "Think think think think think!" he ordered his brain.

"I got it!" He grinned. Quickly, Bokkun reached into the bag the doctor had him carry the exploding tv sets in. Luckily, he also carried pencils, pens, crayons, and notepads in there. He quickly scribbled a message on a piece of paper. Now, he needed a…Ah! Here we go! He tied the note around a rock, then threw it through Tails' window. Crash! He hid and waited. He'd written: "Cream is at the old spook house! Rescue her if you dare! Bokkun."

In no time, the back door flew open. Tails was out the door. He started to spin his tails.

"Miles, wait!" his mother called. "This is dangerous, honey! You might get hurt!"

"Mom, please!" Tails cried. "I have to make sure Cream's okay!"

"But what if you run into that awful Eggman?" his mother asked him. "You can't fight him alone, baby!"

Aw, come on! Bokkun was starting to lose it now. No wonder he liked being the bad guy. Being the good guy took too much work! He jumped up in front of Tails. "Hahahahahah! I'm gonna get Cream, and smooch her whole face, and you can't stop me! Pbbbttt!"

Tails jumped at Bokkun, who barely dodged him. Bokkun took off as fast as he could, with Tails in pursuit. "If you've hurt Cream, I'll tear your head off!" Tails yelled. Bokkun gasped. Tails had never made threats like that before! Amy and Knuckles, but not Tails!

Bokkun soon realized he was in trouble. Tails could fly faster than he could. Desperately, the little robot reached into his bag again and felt around inside. Ah! He knew he still had one! He took out a smoke bomb, and threw it right in Tails' face. Poof! He managed to get ahead, but knew that it would be a close race, and Tails was obviously not in the mood to listen to reason!

Tails' mother, worrying about her son, came upon Charmy, still tied up.

"Oh! You poor boy!" she cried. "I remember you from the mall! Did that mean old robot do this to you?"

"Uh…okay, sure, why not?" Charmy said. "I mean…Please, pretty lady! Can you untie me? I have to warn my buddies!"

Charmy was soon on his way to the old house. When he saw smoke, however, he deicded, "Uh oh! I think I'd better go get Vector. A nice long trip out of the country might be a good idea right about now!"

Cream stepped towards the loud sound she'd just heard carefully. "Um…Mister Ghost?" she called. "What was that? Did you fall down?" Then she saw a dim figure appear in front of her. Sher could just make it out. "Espio!" She smacked her forehead. "He was the ghost! Cream, you're a ninny!"

The muffled moaning came again. Then Cream noticed the hammer. "A pico-pico hammer! So Amy _is_ here!" She stepped cautiously towards the closet. She couldn't see a thing in there. "Amy?" she called. "Is that you?" She felt about her. Then a quill poked her in the forehead. "Ow!"

"Amy!" Cream cried, untying her friend. "Are you okay?"

"Mffle mrof!" Amy said. Cream took off her gag. "Oh, Cream! Oh thank goodness! I've been here forever! Oh thank you!"

"You're welcome," Cream said, "That's what BFFs are for!"

Once Amy was free, she stood up stiffly, stretching and rubbing her arms and legs to get the circulation going. Her left foot was asleep. Once she could walk, she took her pico-pico hammer and started hitting Bokkun with it. "Baka baka baka!" she screamed.

"Amy! Stop!" Cream cried, grabbing her friend's arm. That's enough!"

"I was tied up here for…I don't know how long!" Amy wailed. "I had to use a bedpan! I was fed cold, soggy oatmeal! I need a bath! I stink!"

Actually, Amy sure did, but Cream was too ppolite to tell her.

Suddenly, they heard a sound from outside. Someone was coming! "Oh no!" Cream whispered to Amy. "I tied Charmy up, so it must be Mister Vector!"

"I'll Mister Vector him!" Amy said, standing beside the front door with her arms over her head, hammer clenched in both fists. Someone came in. Much too small and light to be Vector. They both assumed that Charmy must have gotten loose and followed Cream.

"I brought Tails!" Bokkun cried, just as Amy hit him with her hammer. Clang!

"Oh no!" Cream cried. "You hit Bokkun!"

"You mean Eggman's in on this oo?" Amy demanded.

"No, Bokkun was supposed to warn Tails about that awful Ginger girl," Cream said. "I don't know why he came out here, he's scared of the boogeyman!"

"He's what?!?" Amy yelled.

"You know," Cream said, "ghosts and goblins!"

Someone else came in. Amy swung.

"Okay, Bokkun! What's your…" Bam!

"Amy ! You just clobbered Tails!"

"Whoops!" Amy said. "Gomen nasei, Tails!"

"Amy?" Tails said, sounding very dazed, which he was.

"Um…yeah," Amy admitted.

"Did you just hit me with a pico-pico hammer?"

"Er…who wants to know?" Amy asked, trying to hide it behind her back.

"Sorry, Tails' brain crashed! Please wait for rebooting! Rrrrrr…beep!

"Man!" Amy said. "Even coo-coo, you're till a real computer geek, Tails!"

Espio, reviving, decided to make a run for it. He turned invisible, and staggered out the door. Some distance away, he saw Vector and Charmy.

"Are you sure Cream went to the old house, Charmy?" Vecotr asked.

"I'm sure!" Charmy told him.

Espio became visible right in front of them. They both screamed.

"Don't do that!" Vector yelled. "Hey!" They all realized that was Amy's voice.

"She's loose!" Charmy wailed.

"She's got her hammer!" Espio added.

"Every detective for himself!" Vector cried. Amy conked him upside the head. The other two scattered, but she could go after them anytime. After all, she knew where they lived. She also knew that this kind of thing was Vector's fault. The other two were like his puppets, doing any crazy thing he suggested.

"Hello, Vector!" Amy said, grinning from ear to ear. "Welcome to Headachesville. Population: YOU!" Ker-Pow! When Vector came to, he realized he was in Cream's house, and also in quite a predicament. Standing around him, looking very angry, were Amy, Cream, Cheese, Tails, and, scariest of all, Vanilla.

"Would you care to explain yourself, young man?" Vanilla demanded in the coldest voice any of them had ever heard her use before.

Vector grinned sheepishly. "Um…hi?"

Twenty chapters down, ten to go. Next time, Sonic returns to our story and Ginger tries to con him.


	21. Chapter 21: The Return of Sonic

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-One

"The Return of Sonic"

Vector apologized again and again to Amy, Tails, Cream, even Bokkun, although no one had the slightest idea why he was apologizing to him. After all, he hadn't done anything to Bokkun, and the robot wasn't even there, having taken off when Vanilla glared at him. Most of all, Vector apologized to Vanilla.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I am very unhappy and disappointed with you, Vector," Vanilla said. "I cannot believe that you would set poor Tails up with such a dreadful girl! And tying up Amy and locking her in an old house that was condemned years ago, and just leaving her there! What were you thinking?"

"Uh…I can't resist a bet?" Vector said. "See, Amy dared me, and…"

"Vector, you're not a child!" Vanilla said. "You can't just do whatever you want if it hurts other people!

"I'm going down to the castle and pressing charges!" Amy yelled. "Assault and battery! Kidnapping! You'll get twenty years for this, you freak!"

"But…we were playing a game!" Vector said. "I won! So you can't put me in jail!"

"You're nutty as a fruitcake!" Amy yelled. "Knocking me out wasn't a game! You need therapy more than Tails does!"

"That's a good idea, Amy," Vanilla said. "Maybe if you get help, Vector, we can talk again."

"Are you saying I'm crazy?!?" Vector yelled. "Hey, that's not nice!"

"I don't think I want to see you again any time soon," Vanilla said in a much too quiet voice.

"Hey!" Vector cried. "Are you breaking up with me?!?"

Vanilla gasped. "Vector! What are you…We're just friends!" She blushed. "You've helped out my little Cream so many times, and I appreciate that, but…that doesn't mean we're…" She decided to change the subject. "Seriously, what were you going to do with Amy?"

"I could have starved to death!" Amy yelled. "Nobody but you three idiots knew where I was!"

"We were gonna tell Tails where you were after Ginger became his girlfriend," Vector said.

"I can't believe this!" Tails cried. "She was conning me? And you helped her?!"

"Uh…do you guys have to yell at me?" Vector asked. "Couldn't you just hit me instead?"

"I can do both!" Amy yelled. Bam!

"Amy!" Vanilla cried. "No violence in my house! That's not the solution to everything!"

"My hand slipped," Amy said, trying to hide her hammer behind her back.

Vanilla sighed. "Talking to either one of you is like talking to a brick wall."

Tails had never seen Vanilla so angry. Maybe she really did feel something for Vector. Tails knew how angry Amy got when Sonic disappointed her. If Vanilla got like that, Vector was in big trouble. Tails decided he didn't want to hang around and watch anymore of this. This could get ugly.

"Um…I think I'm going to go home now," Tails said, looking towards the door.

"Bye-bye, Tails!" Cream said.

"Don't you want to help me press charges?" Amy asked. "He hurt you too!"

"I…you don't need me, Amy," Tails said, leaving.

Tails was relieved to get out of there. He decided that the next step would be to make sure Ginger didn't hurt Sonic in some way. He flew to the castle. Once at the drawbridge, he landed and called Nicole. The image of the lynx appeared in front of him.

"Good day, Tails," Nicole said. "How may I be of service?"

"Has Sonic checked in yet?" Tails asked.

"I'm afraid I still can't give out any information without Princess Sally's permission," Nicole said.

"And I suppose I can't speak with Sally either?" Tails asked. Red tape was going to drive him crazy!

"Please stand by while I check," Nicole said. She winked out.

Tails shook his head. He shouldn't be angry at Nicole. She was just doing her job. Or at Sally, either. She was always looking overworked these days. Maybe she'd broken up with Sonic because she just couldn't spend any time with him anymore.

While he waited, Tails thought about Vector. That idiot! And Ginger…He'd liked Ginger. Or, rather, the person he'd thought Ginger was. It was nice, thinking there was someone else out there who knew what he was going through. But it had all been a lie! He hoped he never saw her again. He'd never hit a girl before, not counting the training sessions he'd had with Sally, Amy, and Julie-Su, or that stupid tournament where Rouge had kissed him in order to win, but he thought he could make an exception in Ginger's case.

Nicole reappeared. "I can get you in to see her in about two hours," she said. "She's in a meeting right now with her brother, the king. Your mother's there, too. Something about pot holes in Main Street."

Tails sighed. "You do of course realize that getting rid of those pot holes is a waste of time?" he asked. "Eggman's robots will just make new ones."

"It's important to keep people's morale up, Tails," Nicole pointed out. "Everyone knows he'll strike again, but as long as our city _looks_ safe…"

"I understand," Tails said, "but I'm no longer sure that lying to people about bad news is a good idea." Cosmo had done that so many times. Maybe, just maybe, if she'd been honest with him from the beginning…

"Tails?" Nicole said. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Tails lied. "Um…would it be possible for you to check up on a girl named Ginger?"

"Ginger?" Nicole said. "Amy Rose asked me about a girl by that name awhile ago."

"Same one," Tails said. "It's a long, ugly story, and I'm sure Amy will be by soon to tell you more than you want to know about it."

"I see," Nicole said. "Is this the girl?" A holographic image appeared beside Nicole.

"That's her!" Tails cried. "She seems really nice, but she's not! Do you have anything on her?"

"Jaywalking, littering, petty theft, pick pocketing, shoplifting, vandalism, and she spray painted "Sonic Iz A Dumbbell," with a z, on three telephone poles," Nicole said. "That's all we've been able to confirm she's done, but she's been suspected of stealing a car and assaulting a boy for dumping her."

"Oog!" Tails said.

"I'm sorry?" Nicole said. "That word is not in my dictionary."

"Um…you may want to put out a bulletin on her," Tails said. "I think she's going to get very angry when she finds out her little scheme has been exposed."

"I…see," Nicole said. She of course didn't see anything. Tails hadn't given her much to go on. He really didn't want to talk or even think about Ginger anymore.

"I'm sorry I'm not being very clear," Tails said, "I assure you, Amy will give you all of the details, several times, probably."

"Do you want to wait for your mother and speak with Sally once the meeting's over?" Nicole asked.

"No," Tails said. "Just warn her about Ginger. I'll…I'll see you around, Nicole."

"How are you doing these days, Tails?" Nicole asked.

"Getting by, one day at a time," Tails said. It had become his standard answer.

As Tails left, he passed Amy. She was dragging Vector along the ground at the end of a rope. Vector had a black eye and a fat lip. Amy was whistling the theme to "The Bridge Over the River Kwai." That was one scary lady, and Tails dodged behind a mailbox so that she wouldn't see him.

"But…but I won!" Vector was saying. "Oof! Ow!" He'd just hit one of those pot holes. "Yeow! Hey! I think you just dragged me over a piece of broken glass!"

"Oh boo hoo!" Amy said. "Be glad I'm so generous and forgiving!"

Generous and forgiving?!? Tails hoped Amy was never that generous and forgiving to him!

Once they were well down the street, Tails took off towards Sonic's house. Maybe his mother could tell him something.

Sonic's house was a little cottage surrounded by flowers and bushes. It was painted white with blue trimming. Tails knocked on the front door. "Coming! Coming!" he heard.

Sonic's mother opened the door. "Oh, Tails! How are you dear? I haven't seen you around for ages!"

"Getting by," Tails said. "Have you heard from Sonic lately?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Brenda Parlouzer said. "Not since the princess sent him on a mission quite awhile ago." She sighed. "I know he's the world's greatest hero, but he's still my little boy, and I can't help but worry about him every time he goes out to fight that madman."  
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to get to work trying to deroboticize your husband, Mrs. Parlouzer," Tails said. "But…"

"I know, dear, I've heard about your little friend, and I'm so sorry," Sonic's mother said. "Won't you come in and have some hot cocoa? I have marshmallows!"

"No thanks," Tails said. Mrs. Parlouzer could talk your ear off if given a chance. "If you hear from Sonic, will you please tell him I'm looking for him. Oh, um…so is Amy."

"That Amy!" Mrs. Parlouzer said, dragging Tails inside. "Everyday Nicky gets cards and letters from her. But not today or yesterday for some reason. Has she been ill?"

"Uh…she's been…tied up lately," Tails said.

"Oh, you young people!" Sonic's mother said, getting Tails to sit down. "Always so busy!"

It took Tails nearly an hour to get out of there. When he finally left, it occurred to him that he probably wouldn't have to wait too much longer if he went back to the castle, but he wasn't looking forward to telling his mother that Ginger had been lying to her. Rosemary Prower was as vindictive as Amy Rose. He wondered if the name had something to do with it. Roses were beautiful, but they all had thorns.

Tails decided to just go home. There was a note on the refrigerator:

"Miles,

"Gone to the castle to argue with Sally and her dumb brother. Be back soon.

"P.S. Please don't spend too much time hanging out with that Amy and Knuckles. They're questionable

"people. Be back soon. Hugs and kisses,

"Mommy"

Tails rolled his eyes, then went to his room. He opened the bottom drawer of his dresser and pressed a switch. A panel opened up. He pulled out a book. It was a journal that he'd started writing in when he'd first started having feelings for Cosmo. The earlier pages were as full of fantasies and daydreams as Amy Rose's diary, but then it changed. Some of the entries he'd made since Cosmo's death would get him put away if anyone read them. One page was nothing but him writing over and over, "I KILLED COSMO!"

Tails sighed. Then he remembered that among Cosmo's few personal affects had been a little book. Had she kept a diary onboard the Blue Typhoon? Could there be…something about him in it? He started after it, and then stopped. If Cosmo had wanted him to read her diary, she would have shown it to him. Besides, if there was something of hers he didn't know about yet, he didn't want to read it. Not yet. He wanted to know, or at least believe, that there was something about her that he didn't know yet. Something still ahead of him for him to reach out for.

Tails remembered the time he had gotten into Amy's diary. It had two kinds of entries: "Sonic is so wonderful! He plays hard to get, but I just know that the day will come when he will sweep my off my feet, and take me to our castle in the air! And we'll have seven sons and seven daughters, and hold hands and think about the good old days, and the sky will be blue and pink and rainbows will be everywhere and…" That entry had gone on like that for several more pages. Then there were the other entries: "That stupid Sonic! Imagine he forgot my birthday! I'll show him! He'll be sorry he messed with Amy Rose! Can't he see that I am his destiny, and he threatens to destroy the fabric of time and space by rejecting me?" That had also gone on for a few pages. Then, of course, Amy had caught Tails still reading. Man, that hammer hurt!

What Tails couldn't know was that he had just missed Sonic's phone call home to his mother, asking her to come to the hospital. She was too worried to think about Tails. She called her husband, and they met at the hospital. While they were asking a receptionist what had happened, Sonic came down the hallway.

"Son!" Brenda cried, throwing her arms around Sonic. "Are you hurt? Tell Mommy what's wrong!"

"Whoa, hey!" Sonic said. "I'm fine. It's not me!"

"Then who is it?" his father asked. "Chuck?"

"I didn't want to tell you over the phone," Sonic said. "Mom. You'd better sit down."  
"Nikki! What's wrong?" his mother sobbed. She rarely called him Nikki anymore.

"Sorry," Sonic said. "I don't want to scare you, but…"

"Spit it out, son," Sonic's father said. "You're upsetting your mother. Me too, actually."

"Mister and Misses Parlouzer?" A doctor asked, coming into the waiting room just then.

"Is she gonna be okay, Doc?" Sonic asked. "These are our parents."

"_Our_ parents?!?'" Sonic's dad repeated.

"She's going to be very weak for awhile," the doctor said, giving Sonic's father a nervous look. Most Mobians had trouble getting used to roboticized animals. "The poison was similar to rattlesnake venom. Deadly, but curable if treated in time. But don't worry. Your son got her here in time. Your little girl is going to be just fine."

"'_Our_ little girl?!?'" Sonic's parents both cried out.

"I didn't want to tell you until I was sure she'd be okay," Sonic said. "I found her, Mom and Dad! I found Anita!"

"I have to see her!" Sonic's mother sobbed.

"Of course," the doctor said. He looked at Sonic's father. "Uh…"

"Dad," Sonic said. "I'm sorry, but…Anita was held prisoner by a robot duplicate of me. He's the one that hurt her. I'm afraid, well, if she wakes up and…"

Sonic's father bowed his head. "She'd be terrified of me," he said. "You're right. I-I can't risk it."

Sonic's father sank down into a chair. While his wife tried to comfort him, Sonic turned to the doctor. "I want to thank you for helping my sister," he said. "If there's ever anything you need…"

"Just doing my job," the doctor said. "Maybe you should sit down. You look don't look so good."

"Just relieved," Sonic said. "I…I lost somebody awhile back that I'd promised to protect."

"It's okay, Sonic," the doctor assured him. "You have to face the fact that you can't save everyone."

"Yeah," Sonic said, sitting down. "I know that, doc. But…it still hurts when you do your best, and somebody still dies."

"Yes, it does," the doctor agreed. "That's why it's best to concentrate on our successes, not our failures."

Sonic sat with his father while his mother went to see Anita. He didn't know what to say.

"This isn't your fault, son," his father said.

"I should have kept this from happening to you," Sonic insisted. "I wasn't even home when you and Mom and Anita were all grabbed. I was out having fun." Sonic knew he was lucky. His family was back together, even if his dad was still a robot. But the horror of coming home to a smoking crater, and no idea where anyone was would never leave him.

"You didn't do anything wrong," his father insisted. "You were a little boy who had fantastic powers and wanted to show off. Eggman's to blame for our problems."

"Yeah," Sonic said, "but still…"

"You did your best, son," his father said. "There are things nobody can do."

"Like bringing back the dead?" Sonic asked.

"Luckily, you didn't need to," his dad told him. He, of course, was talking about Anita. Sonic wasn't. Sonic didn't let close calls bother him too much. Anita was going to be all right, so he could finally stop worrying about her.

"She's still asleep," Sonic's mother said a few minutes later. "Nicky, dear, can you get me a pillow and blanket and a few other things? I'm going to spend the night here. Just in case."

"Sure, Mom," Sonic said. "I'll be right back."

"You don't have to come back to stay, son," his father told him as Sonic prepared to take off. "I'll be fine. Just frustrated now and then."

Sonic's mother gave him a list of things she needed. Sonic sped home, gathered him, then raced back. He checked in on his sister for a minute. She was muttering, "Stupid chicken! Take that and that and that!"

"Yeah, kid," Sonic said softly, "show that Scratch who's boss!" He said his good byes to his parents, promised to be back to check in after a few hours, then raced off to look for Tails.

Sonic never made it, because he happened to pass his Uncle Chuck's hot dog stand. The smell of chili dogs was his one weakness, and Sonic stopped for a couple.

"Guess what, Uncle Chuck?" Sonic said, taking his first bite. "I found Anita!"

Uncle Chuck dropped the second chili dog he was preparing. Sonic caught it in one smooth motion. "Sorry," Sonic said. "Didn't mean to shock you there, Unc!"

"Anita's home?" Uncle Chuck said, untying his apron. "I have to see her!"

"Uh…actually," Sonic said. "She's in the hospital. Whoa! Whoa! It's okay! She's gonna be out of it for awhile, but she'll be fine. Mom and Dad are at the hospital now."

"Then I'd better get down there," Uncle Chuck said, packing up his stand. "Your parents are probably nervous wrecks by now."

"Actually," Sonic said sadly, "Dad's pretty broken up. You see, Anita was held prisoner by Metal Sonic, so we're afraid if she sees him…"

"Well, I know what your poor father's going through," Uncle Chuck said. "I spent quite some time as a robot. I'll talk to him." As he started to leave, he said, "Oh, how's Tails these days?"

"That's what I've been wondering," Sonic said, grabbing one last chili dog for the road. "I'll be by the hospital after I check on him. See ya, Unc!"

Happy, content, and full of chili dogs, Sonic decided to walk to Tails' house. It was a nice change of pace to actually see the scenery he was going past for a change. And it was because he wasn't running like he usually did that Ginger saw him.

"Sonic!" she squealed. "Finally! This is my big chance!" She put herself back into her "poor me" mode and hurried after him.

"Excuse me!" she called. "Excuse me!" Sonic stopped and turned to look at her. "Are you Sonic the Hedgehog?" she asked.

"Why, yes, I am!" Sonic said with a grin. "Still got it, I see!" he said to himself.

"Good!" Ginger said to herself. "He's a stuck up jerk! Guys like that are so easy to manipulate!" Out loud, she said, "My name is Ginger. I spoke to your friend, Miles, about my poor boyfriend. He-he was captured by one of that awful Eggman's robots, and I never saw himi again!"

"And you want me to find and rescue him?" Sonic said. "No problemo! Just give me a few details!" Now that he had finally found and rescued his sister, Sonic allowed himself to revert to his old cocky self again. He was so proud of himself, and flattered by the attention, he allowed himself to forget about Tails for a little while. And that was his mistake.

Tails, not knowing that Sonic was back, decided to complete the last few finishing touches on his greenhouse. Then he'd get back to work on his pet project. With the Master Emerald still regenerating, it would be extremely difficult. But he had plenty of fake emeralds to practice with. And, he was sure, he could always try again once Knuckles said the Master Emerald was healed.

A couple of hours later, Tails at last finished the greenhouse. He decided to wait until the morning to ask Cream to come over and help him transplant Cosmo's flower. He prayed it would be all right. Sometimes plants didn't survive being moved. If that happened…

Tails went back into his house to wash off the mud and dust he'd gotten completing the greenhouse. When he came out, he intended to take a little rest, then get back to work on his big invention.

Unfortunately, his mother had other ideas.

"Hi, precious! I'm home!" Rosemary crushed her son in a bear hug. "How's my little man!"

"Mom! Please!" Tails said. Well, he might as well tell her about Ginger and get it over with. "Mom, there's something I need to tell you…" Then he saw the boxes. "Oh no…"

"I have something to show you!" she said, dragging him over to the boxes. As he'd feared, they were from clothing stores. And the clothes inside of the boxes were more outfits that would get him beat up.

"Well, well," his mother said as he came out of his bedroom wearing one particularly ghastly outfit. Even Cosmo and Cream would laugh at this monstrosity. "Aren't you the handsome man!"

"You're…kidding," Tails said.

"That one's fine, let's go!" she said.

Tails eyes bugged out. Go? Outside? In this thing? Where people could see him?

"Are we going to a costume party?" he asked.

"Don't be silly, dear," Rosemary Prower said. "We're going to meet your father for dinner!"

"Like this?" Tails asked, shocked. "Mom, no!"

But it was no use. Tails was dragged away to dinner in his pink, ruffled shirt, purple vest, and khaki shorts. And because he was dragged away just then, he missed Sonic's phone call.

"Huh," Sonic said, hanging up. "Voice mail. I hope Tails is okay."

"What about my boyfriend?" Ginger demanded. By this time, she half believed in him herself.

"I really need to check on Tails," Sonic insisted. He took off.

"Hey!" Ginger yelled. This was taking up far too much of her time!

"Hey!" came a squeaky voice behind her. "You still want to work for the doctor?" It was Bokkun.

"What have you got?" Ginger demanded.

"Him!" Bokkun said, pointing to a huge robot that was standing about fifty yards away. "He grabs you, and Sonic saves you. Simple, huh?"

"And your boss claims to have a 300 I.Q.?!?" Ginger said, disgusted.

At Tails' house, Sonic found a note.

"Gone to dinner. Be back after total mortification! Tails"

Sonic sighed. Tails' parents seemed to be doing him more harm than good. Maybe Sonic should have listened to his own advice he'd given Amy, and minded his own business!

Sonic decided to go back and try to help that girl out. He returned just in time to see the big robot pick up Ginger.

"Hey!" Sonic yelled. "Let her go!"

"Oh!" Ginger cried. Perfect! "Help me, Sonic! Mommy!" There. That sounded good!

"Hang on!" Sonic cried. He raced at the robot, spin dashed between its legs, then leaped, back flipped, and kicked it in the backs of its knees. The robot wobbled. Eggman was producing a higher quality of mecha these days. No doubt he'd stolen designs from the Metarex.

Sonic ran up a tree, flipped, and ended up on the robot's head. He kicked it a few times. The robot reached for him. Sonic ran about for awhile, until the robot did what he'd hoped it would do. It punched itself in the head.

Sonic jumped onto its wrist, causing its arm to snap back so that it hit itself again. Still stupid, he noticed. Intelligent robots tended to decide, "Who needs you, fatso?" At which point, Eggman usually started crying out for Sonic to save him. That was why Eggman rarely made smart 'bots.

Sonic leaped down and tried the knee trick again. The robot went down this time. Sonic jumped and caught Ginger, who was screaming for real now. Sonic landed on the robot and ran across it, bouncing off its head. He set Ginger down, then raced back to finish it off. It rarely took long at this point, and this time was no exception. When he was finished, he turned to Bokkun.

"Um…I…gotta be going now!" Bokkun said, taking off. "Bye!"

"My hero!" Ginger cried. She grabbed Sonic pretty much the way Amy did. Sonic realized he actually preferred Amy's hug. Maybe he was starting to like that wacky little pink hedgehog after all.

"Um, you can let go now," Sonic said. "You're safe."

Ginger started the tears next. "Just before you came, that awful little robot told me that,…my boyfriend is dead!" She cried on Sonic's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Sonic said. "I-I was out of the country for awhile. Maybe…if I'd come back sooner…" But then it would have been his sister who would have died. "You can't save everybody," the doctor had told him. No, but his successes tended to all blur together. It was his failures that stood out.

"Is there--is there anything I can do for you?" Sonic asked.

"Well…your little friend is cute," Ginger said. "Is he seeing anyone?"

Sonic pulled away from her. "You just found out your boyfriend died, and you want another one already?!?" Something wasn't adding up here!

"I…" Ginger didn't know what to say next. "I mean…when I get over my boyfriend. I…nobody wants to be alone, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Sonic said. "I, uh…I have to go look in on Tails anyway. You should be safe now. Bye!"

As she watched Sonic race off, Ginger cursed herself. "Okay, calm down. You can still do damage control. Sonic's not as naïve as the foxes, but I can get sympathy from them."

After searching half the town, Sonic finally caught up with Tails as he was on his way home with his parents.

"Oh, it's you," Amadeus Prower said to Sonic.

"I suppose you're here to drag Miles off to fight some stupid robot," Rosemary added.

"Yeah," Sonic said to himself, "I definitely gotta learn to mind my own business!" Out loud, he said, "Actually, I just need to talk to Tails for a minute."

"You can see him in the morning!" Rosemary insisted, grabbing Tails' hand. "Let's go, dear!"

"But, Mom!" Tails cried.

"You heard your mother!" his father said. "Reveille is at oh five hundred hours!"

Sonic shook his head. Well, he was sure Ginger couldn't cause much trouble before morning. Sonic raced off. Tails was safe for the time being. His sister was going to be fine. Sonic didn't have a care in the world at the moment.

Naturally, it wouldn't last.

Ginger watched Tails and his parents head home. She was going to approach them, but then she heard Tails say, "Oh, um, Mom? About that girl, Ginger? I should tell you, I've found out that she…"

"She's a nice girl, isn't she, Miles?" his mother interrupted.

"But, Mom," Tails tried again, "you need to know that she's…"

"Don't interrupt your mother!" his father said.

Ginger ducked around the side of the Prower house. So Tails was onto her, but his stupid mother was still clueless. Well, if she couldn't get fame out of this deal, she'd settle for discord among friends. She watched the Prowers go inside of their house. After a few minutes, his mother came out. She starting inspecting the lawn. Ginger made her move.

"Mrs. Prower!" she sobbed, running up to her.

"Ginger! What's wrong, dear?" Tails' mother asked.

"I begged Sonic to find my boyfriend for me, and he said it wasn't worth the effort!"

"I always thought that boy acted a lot more out of self interest than he claimed," Rosemary Prower said.

"Not only that," Ginger sobbed, hugging Tails' mother. "But then…then he told Miles lies about me, because I wouldn't go out with him!"

"He did, did he?!" Tails' mother demanded. "Well, don't you worry, dear! I'll take care of him! You can count on Rosemary Prower!"

Ginger grinned. "I knew I could, Ma'am!"

Bokkun snuck back into Eggman's headquaters. Maybe the boss wouldn't be too angry that another of his robots had just been trashed. The fat man was in his lab, of course. Working on yet another creation. Curious, Bokkun went to see what it was. He gasped as he got a good look.

"Boss! What are you doing?!?" he cried.

"Why isn't it obvious?" Eggman demanded. "I'm building a new robot! One that will completely destroy that meddling Tails. Or, failing that, possibly cause him to commit seppuku. And Sonic's so eaten up with guilt over what he's done to the fox, with Tails gone, Sonic will make a fatal mistake, and the world will at last be mine!" He laughed. Not his usual ho ho ho, but a twisted laugh, similar to Dark Oak's. Eggman had finally gone too far.

Bokkun looked down at his boss' latest creation. At a slim figure with pale greenish skin and green hair, dressed in white and green. With flower buds for ears.

It was a robot duplicate of Cosmo.

To be continued!


	22. Chapter 22: An Approaching Storm

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Two

"An Approaching Storm"

"Now," Eggman said to Bokkun, "I have a mission for you."

"W-what do you want me to do, Doctor?" Bokkun asked. Something about the doctor's attitude scared him. "And what are you going to do with that Metal Cosmo?"

"Why, it's a gift to poor Tails," Eggman said. "Really, Bokkun, I'm surprised. You're not usually this stupid. I'm going to have her go to Tails and say that she's alive! But first, we need to get rid of something that would ruin him thinking that."  
Bokkun suddenly felt sick. "W-what do we have to get rid of, Boss?" he asked, already knowing.

"You are going to Tails' house and grab that little plant that's growing from Cosmo's seed," the doctor explained. "Simple. Just like you!"

"And…what do I do with Cosmo's plant after I grab it?" Bokkun asked.

"Well, naturally, you're going to bring it to me so that I can analyze it," Eggman said. "Do I have to tell you everything?"

Bokkun took off, his mind spinning. The doctor would probably kill that little plant once he was finished examining it. Or maybe he'd wait to see what came out. If it was Cosmo, he'd hold her prisoner and threaten to kill her if Tails didn't work for him. If Tails hadn't already killed himself. If it was a baby, he'd probably raise it to work for him. Send the child to kill Tails one day.

Bokkun stopped. If he didn't go along with this, if he warned Tails, the doctor would be furious at him. Punish him. Maybe even scrap him and toss him into a recycling bin. Bokkun had seen robots end up in there. They were ground up and eventually came out as completely different creatures with no memories of whom or what they had once been. He didn't want that to happen to him.

Then he imagined Cream saying, "Thank you, Bokkun! You saved Cosmo's plant and maybe Tails too!" Then, right before his eyes, he'd see Cream run off to be with Tails, and he'd lose her forever.

On the other hand, if he did what the boss told him, he could see Cream crying at Tails' grave. He'd approach, try to apologize. Cream would slap his face. "He's dead, Bokkun! Tails killed himself! And it's all _your _fault! I _hate_ you, Bokkun! I'll hate you as long as I live!"

Bokkun buried his face in his hands. No matter what he did, his life as he knew it was over.

Tails managed to get out of the house long enough to do a final double-check of his greenhouse. Yes, everything seemed fine. He'd talk to Cream in the morning. That is, if his parents let him. Well, Cream had a gift for getting people to like her.

That night, Tails noticed someone had been picking at the lock on the room he didn't want anyone getting into. If his parents saw what was in there, he was in big trouble. He made a mental note to move everything to the Blue Typhoon the first chance he got. His mom and dad obviously didn't believe him when he said he had radioactive isotopes he'd been studying, locked in lead boxes. If they saw the pictures, the candles, the poems he'd written…

Tails jumped as he heard someone approaching. He spun around. "Oh, it's you," he said.

"Great to see you too, bro," Sanguine said. "You might want to clean out that room, put it someplace underground. Mom's been talking about putting up curtains and making a guest room. Probably for your little monkey friend."

"She's no friend of mine!" Tails said. "She's a con artist!"

"I just saw her outside a little while ago, talking to Mom," Sanguine said.

"Say what?!?" Tails cried.

"Miles!" Rosemary cried, coming into the hallway. "It's time for you to go to bed, dear!"

"But, Mom," Tails said, "I have to talk to you about Ginger!"

"She's such a sweet girl," his mother said, taking him by the hand. "But you should really talk to your father about girls. Tomorrow, though, beddy-bye time now!"

"Good night," Sanguine said, waving. "Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

Sanguine went into his room, shut the door, then fixed up a dummy in his bed. He didn't know how long he'd be gone, or how long before his mother checked in on him. He opened his closet door and reached behind his clothes for a cloak. It was black with a red lining. In the lining were tiny fragments that glittered as light touched them. Sanguine fastened on the cloak, then wrapped it around himself. He hoped it worked this time. Sometimes it didn't, and he couldn't figure out the problem. He'd ask Uncle Merlin, but he wasn't ready to let anybody in on his big discovery yet.

"Chaos control!"

This time, at least, it worked.

Cream lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She didn't want to have any more dreams telling her that her interest in Tails was wrong. Why would she dream that? Because Cosmo was her friend, and she felt like she was betraying her? But Cosmo was gone, and she wanted Tails to be happy. Couldn't Cream be the one that made him happy?

She sighed as she realized Cheese was asleep. The chao let very little ever bother him. Or her. Cream was never really quite sure, and Cheese was very vague about some things. She wondered sometimes how she could understand what everyone else including her mother insisted sounded like just "chao chao chao."

Cream suddenly heard a sound outside her window. It was still summer, and hot, and Cream had left her window open. She gently placed a hand on Cheese. If it was a burglar, they were going to get a surprise.

Klunk! Something, or someone, fell in her window.

"Owie!" came a familiar voice.

"Bokkun?!?" Cream gasped.

"Cream!" Bokkun hissed. "Shh. I gotta talk to you!"

"You shouldn't sneak in a girl's bedroom at night," Cream said. This was like one of those romance books Amy would read out loud from. Was Bokkun…flirting with her?

"This is important," Bokkun said. "You gotta warn Tails about the doctor!"

Cream sat up. This sounded important. Still, she was a little disappointed that Bokkun was there on business. "What's Doctor Eggman going to do?" she demanded.

"Huh?" Cheese said. At least, to Cream that's what Cheese's latest "chao" sounded like.

"The doctor's doing something awful!" Bokkun said, walking up to Cream's bed.

Cheese was awake now. Looking up, the chao saw a trespasser in Cream's room. He flew at Bokkun, knocking him over.

"Hey…oof!" Bokkun landed on Cream's chair, tipping it over.

"Chao chao chao!" Cheese yelled at him.

"Hey, stop it, you dumb Cheeseball!" Bokkun cried. "This is important!"

"Cream!" Vanilla's voice came from the next room. "What's going on in there, honey? Did you have another bad dream?"

"Uh oh!" Bokkun cried. He pushed Cheese off of him and hid under Cream's bed.

Cream's bedroom door opened. "Are you okay?" her mother asked her.

"I'm fine, Mommy," Cream said. She looked for Cheese. The chao was standing at the foot of Cream's bed, motioning to her mother, and pointing desperately under the bed. He was going to get Bokkun in trouble! "Cheese! Come back here!"

"Chao chao chao!" Cheese cried.

"What in the world is wrong with him?" Vanilla asked. "Or her? Something under the bed?"

"Probably just saw a spider," Cream fibbed. She hated lying to her mother, but she knew Vanilla would be furious if she found Bokkun. If Doctor Eggman was going to do something to Tails, Cream had to know about it so she could warn him. "Mommy, could I please have a glass of water? I'll try to calm Cheese down while you get it."

Vanilla was used to Cheese behaving strangely, and left to get Cream the water. Cream lay down on the floor and pulled up the covers. "Well, what's he going to do to Tails?" she demanded. "Talk fast, my mom'll be right back. And Cheese, you hush!"

"Doctor Eggman's building a robot," Bokkun said.

"He _always_ builds robots," Cream said. "That's why people call him Doctor Robotnik, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but his robots don't usually have green hair and petal skirts!" Bokkun said.

Cream blinked. "Huh? Green hair and petal skirts?" she repeated. "What do you…"

"Cream! Whatever are you doing on the floor?!?" her mother cried.

"Uh…looking for the spider!" Cream said. The light in her room came on.

"Well, we'll be able to find it a lot easier in the light!" Vanilla said. As she got down on her knees to look under one side of the bed, Bokkun scurried out the other side and dived out the window.

"I don't see anything," Vanilla said. "Probably just a nightmare."

"You're probably right, Mommy," Cream said. "Good night."

"You forgot your water," her mother said.

"Oh…right," Cream said. She started to drink the water when a light seemed to come on in her head. She spit it out.

"Cream, what on Mobius?" her mother cried.

"I…got choked," Cream said. "I'm sorry, Mom. Um…I gotta…go to the bathroom! 'Scuse me!"

Vanilla scratched her head as Cream raced past her. In the bathroom, Cream locked the door, then opened the window. "Bokkun!" she hissed. "Bokkun! Are you still there?"

"Here I am!" Bokkun cried, suddenly popping up just inches from her face.

"Ahh! Don't do that!" Cream yelled.

"Cream?" came her mother's voice. "Are you all right in there? Who are you talking to? Cheese is out here, honey!"

"Uh…spider just went down the drain!" Cream called. Man, she was going to get punished some day for telling her mother so many fibs! She turned back to Bokkun. "What do you mean green hair and a petal skirt? That describes Cosmo!"

"That's what he's making!" Bokkun said.

"He's…he's making a…" Cream shrieked. "Oh no! Oh no!"

Vanilla knocked on the door. "What's wrong, honey?" she called. "Open the door, and let's talk about it. I'm sure whatever it is, everything will work out just fine!"

"You'd better go," Cream said. "I'll try to tell Tails as soon as I can."

"Okay," Bokkun said. "I'll see you!" He flew off.

"Cream! Open this door this moment!" Vanilla cried.

Cream closed the bathroom window, then opened the door. "Sorry, Mom," she said. "I…the toilet seat lid came down and landed on my tail." She was so going to go to H E double hockey sticks when she died!

Tails had snuck out of his room by rolling under his bed and pressing a secret switch. The floor under his bed had rolled open, and he had gone down a staircase to the Blue Typhoon. There was an elevator, but it made enough noise that his mother might hear it and investigate. If his parents found the secret passages to his real workshop, they'd probably seal them up and forbid him from using them. He didn't know how long it would be before his mother checked his room and found the dummy he'd placed in his bed. He'd learned that trick from his brother when he was little. It was just about the only thing Simon had ever taught him.

He went to his pet project. It was nearly finished now. He'd make a few adjustments, then head back to bed. There was no way that he could sleep now. Tails was used to working late into the night. Having a curfew was just driving him up the wall.

Tails smiled nervously at his invention. If only it would work! He checked the fake chaos emeralds he had. His intention was to use up half of them the first time. If it didn't work, he'd use up the rest, except for one. He had learned how to make duplicates by finishing the Metarex' messages. Cosmo had provided him the key to their language, and, once he'd helped her program some basics of Seedian into the computer, it had been able to translate the calculations that poor Cosmo hadn't been able to understand.

The problem was that Tails still hadn't figured out how to stop Dark Oak without Cosmo's sacrifice. It was possible that Super Sonic and Super Shadow could do it, but it would probably kill both of them. Tails wouldn't mind seeing Shadow dead, but Sonic was his best friend. Would he have to choose between Sonic and Cosmo? That…that was a terrible choice! But…but maybe he was wrong. Super Sonic was supposed to be invulnerable. Maybe Sonic would survive. He _had_ to. Because Tails couldn't live with the decision he had made too much longer. Cosmo was appearing to him more often lately. Never speaking. Just standing there. Staring at him with her eyes full of reproach. He could almost hear her asking, "Why, Tails? I thought you loved me!"

Tails started work on his invention again. It _had_ to work! He couldn't deal with it failing.

"Please forgive me, Sonic," Tails whispered. "I don't want anything to happen to you either!"

As Tails worked, he thought about what Sonic had tried to do. If that was Cosmo's body, slowly repairing itself, then she didn't want to come back to it. But if he went back to before it happened, before she died and went to be with her sisters…

Tails forced himself not to think of all of the things that could go wrong with his plan. If only Amy hadn't had that séance! Maybe Sonic would have tried chaos regeneration again if he hadn't heard from Cosmo. Five months now, and Knuckles said that the Master Emerald was about half healed. Five more months, and Sonic could try again. But now he'd made it clear he wouldn't. That he didn't want to disturb Cosmo's rest. But it was because of them that Cosmo was at rest! Sonic, and Shadow, and Tails! They were all in on it together. A murder plot, with Cosmo as the victim. Shadow could burn in whatever inferno he'd wound up in. Sonic couldn't be counted on to help. Tails had to do it alone.

Tails' brother reappeared in his room. He set down the object he'd fetched, then returned his cloak to its hidden spot in the closet. The object went in behind it.

"There," Sanguine said. "That should take care of things." He took apart the dummy he'd left in his bed, hid the parts, then got into bed and started reading a book of ghost stories. With any luck, his mother wouldn't find what he'd gotten, and he'd be able to use it soon. He read until his mother opened his door.

"Simon," she said, "lights out! You'll ruin your eyes reading all night."

"Oh, hi, Mom!" Sanguine said. "Do I have ta?"

"Yes, you most certainly do, young man!" Rosemary Prower insisted, taking the book. She made a face. "I hope you're not scaring your little brother with this stuff?" she demanded.

"Miles has no interest in ghost stories," Sanguine said. "You can't blame him, considering what he's been going through!"

Tails finished soldiering a part. He rubbed his eyes. Better get back to his mother before his mother caught him out. He cleaned up as best as he could, then hurried back to the secret stairs. He shut the passageway behind him, crawled out from under his bed, then climbed under the covers. He'd been pretty close. His mother came in just a few minutes later.

"Miles, precious?" she called softly. "Are you asleep, honey?"

Tails made a snoring sound. Sonic and Amy and Knuckles had all told him he snored. Tails didn't believe it, but he hoped it would fool his mother.

"Oh, my," Rosemary said. "He's snoring louder than usual tonight!" Tails rolled his eyes. Even his mother thought he snored!

After she left, Tails rolled over. It would be another long, sleepless night, he could tell. The thought that he might be saving Cosmo by killing Sonic wouldn't stay away, no matter how many times he pushed it into the back of his mind.

Bokkun looked around desperately. He was supposed to bring Doctor Eggman Cosmo's plant. Naturally, he couldn't really do that, so he needed a substitute. Which meant he needed a potted plant. But where could he find one?

Bokkun checked every open window. He found half a pie, which he ate, a bag of marbles, which he put in his pack, and sixteen packs of chewing gum. He decided not to be a pig, and only helped himself to about a dozen sticks of gum. As he blew a bubble, he pondered his next move. Too bad they didn't have some kind of garden he could go through. He sighed. Who would have thought it would be so difficult to find a potted plant?!?

Eureka! He finally located one at the last street before the edge of town. He looked at the little plant growing in it. It looked like some kind of rose. Well, those flowers on Cosmo's head had looked like roses. Maybe it would fool the doctor. He'd fallen for Rouge's sleeping powder in the hot cocoa, right? Bokkun had, by now, forgotten that the doctor had, in fact, not really fallen for the cocoa. Bokkun's brain was not exactly on par with Tails'.

Bokkun took off back to the doctor's headquarters. "Well," he thought nervously, "here goes nothing!"

"Hey, boss!" Bokkun cried. "I got the plant!"

"Well, set it down," Eggman said. "I'm just making the final finishing touches on this Metal Cosmo." Bokkun watched nervously for several minutes. Then the doctor closed up the control panel. "Okay, let's activate her and see how she works," he said. He pressed a button on a control panel.

Metal Cosmo opened her eyes. Eggman smiled. "Get up, my little pretty!" he said. The robot got up on her feet. "Who are you?" Eggman demanded.

"I am Cosmo the Seedrian," the robot said in a voice exactly like Cosmo's.

"And why are you alive?" Eggman asked.

"I survived the destruction of Dark Oak by tapping into the power of the chaos emeralds and planet eggs and using chaos control at the last possible instant. But I was lost in space, and unable to contact Tails. I was picked up by a friendly ship of Metarex fighters, who have finally managed to bring me here."

"Isn't she great?" Eggman said. He looked at Bokkun. "I may just have her replace you, you nitwit!"

Bokkun gasped. The doctor might at that. He had thrown out his previous robots, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts when he built Bocoe and Decoe and roboticized Bokkun.

"It's too late to do anything now," Eggman said. "Tails is probably in bed. So I'll send her out the first thing in the morning." Again he let out an evil, twisted laugh. Bokkun left, horrified. If Cream didn't tell Tails, the fox would be completely destroyed by this machine!

Cream didn't know what to do. It was too late to call Tails. It was definitely too late to go over to his house. Maybe Eggman wouldn't send his Cosmo robot out until morning, but what if he was in a hurry?

Cream sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom," she whispered. "Cheese," she said. "I have to warn Tails about Doctor Eggman. You have to cover for me."

"You mom'll be hurt!" Cheese said. "You're lying to her again!"

"I don't have any other choice!" Cream said. "I have to do this. You like Tails, don't you? You don't want anything bad to happen to him!"

"We don't know Eggman's going to do anything!" Cheese argued. "You just have that stupid, ugly Bokkun's word for it!"

"Cheese!" Cream sobbed. "If the robot's real, and Tails falls in love with it, then finds out it's a robot…he might…he might…kill himself!" She shivered at the thought.

"But you can't leave now!" Cheese said. "You have to tell your mother!"

"I can't!" Cream said. "She'll call Tails' mom, and she might just hang up on her. You saw Tails' mom, Cheese! She was mean to me!"

"You shouldn't have picked up that swimsuit!" Cheese said. "I told you not to!"

"Please, Cheese," Cream said. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to Tails!" There were tears in her eyes now. "If you love me, you'll let me go!"

"But…what if it's a trap?" Cheese asked. "I need to come with you and keep you safe!"

"I can take care of myself!" Cream said. She opened a drawer in her dresser and pulled out a yo-yo. Then, just in case, she took a second one. "These don't hit as hard as you do, but they're metal, so they'll really hurt! And don't worry. If I get into trouble, I can scream very, very loud!"

Cream fixed up her bed to look like she was in it. "I'm counting on you, Cheese," she said, starting to climb out her window. "If Mommy calls, you have to pretend to be me. That means talking so she understands you."

"I don't like doing that," Cheese said. "I talk funny!" Cheese spoke with an accent when speaking Mobian, and was afraid of being laughed at.

"You talk fine," Cream assured her best friend. "Please, support me in this. I'll be back as soon as I can." Cream flapped her ears and flew off into the night.

Tails rolled over in his bed. Nope. Still couldn't sleep. He got up and tiptoed to his window. He stuck his head out the window. He looked up into the sky.

_Yes, the stars __**are **__beautiful. I could look at them forever._

"I'm sorry, Cosmo," Tails whispered. "I should have told you how I felt. And I also should have stargazed with you more. Maybe we wouldn't have talked much, but we would have been happy together. At least, I know I'm happy for every moment I had with you. I think you felt the same way, right? Cosmo?

"Tails!"

"Cosmo!" Tails cried, looking about desperately, hopefully. But he only saw Cream. "Cream? What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"I have to warn you," Cream said, climbing in his window. He helped her in. She was strong, and she was fast, but she wasn't really all that graceful.

"Warn me?" Tails asked. "About what?"

"Doctor Eggman built a robot," she said. "To destroy you!"

"He builds robots all the time," Tails said.

"But this one is special," Cream insisted. "If you don't know it's coming, it could…it could…" She suddenly hugged him. "Oh, Tails! Please don't hurt yourself!"

Tails sputtered. "Wha-what?!? What are you talking about?"  
"It's a Cosmo robot!" Cream sobbed. "He's going to have it pretend to be Cosmo come back."

Tails staggered backwards. He had to sit down.

"Are you okay?" Cream asked.

"That's…that's the most awful thing I've ever heard!" Tails sobbed.

"He thinks…when you find out Cosmo didn't really come back to you…" Cream couldn't finish the sentence. But she didn't have to.

Tails gritted his teeth. "I'm going to kill him!" Tails said. His eyes were scary. "I'm going to murder Eggman! And then, when he's dead, I'm going to take his dead body, and…"

Cream slapped his face. "Don't you ever start talking crazy like that again!" she cried. "You've got to pull yourself together!" She put her arms around him and laid her face against his chest fur. "Please, Tails! I want you happy! I want you healthy! I want…" She blushed. She'd almost said, "I want you!" But she could tell that he'd be shocked and push her away. Maybe start avoiding her. And she never wanted Tails to not be comfortable around her. Not like Sonic was around Amy.

"Miles!" came his mother's voice. "Who are you talking to?"

"Thank you for warning, me, Cream!" Tails said, hurrying her back to the window. "Now go home before you get in trouble. Don't worry. I'm going to be okay now that I know."

"I promise, I'll always be there for you," Cream said, flying away.

The night was very long, and sleep was impossible. Because of this, Tails was groggy the next morning. But he knew he couldn't waste anymore time. He had to get to Sonic. Whether his parents liked it or not.

"Mom, Dad," Tails said. "I'm going to the store to pick up some…comic books. I'll be back in about an hour." He hoped they didn't have other plans.

"I can go with him," Sanguine volunteered. "Maybe introduce him to some nice girl."

Tails sputtered. He didn't want to be introduced to anymore girls, nice or otherwise! And he didn't want his brother tagging along. Tails didn't know if he could trust him or not.

"Well, I suppose it would be all right," their mother said.

"Simon," their father said, "you stay out of trouble, young man!"

"Of course," Simon said. "Come on, Miles."

Once outside, Tails wondered how to get away from his brother. "Um…listen, Simon," he said. "I…uh…"

"Somebody paid you a visit last night," Sanguine said. "That little bunny girl, right?"

Tails sputtered. "How did you…"

"I have my ways," Sanguine said. "What did she want?"

"I have to see Sonic right away," Tails said. He spun his tails. "I'll meet you at the store as soon as I can, brother! Pick up a comic for me!"

"Yeah," Sanguine said. "You got it. Good luck, bro."

Sonic wasn't home. In fact, his parents weren't there either. Tails smacked his forehead. He'd forgotten to take his phone with him! He couldn't even call him. Now what was he going to do?

"Mom," Cream said at breakfast, "can I go and see Amy?"

"'May I go and see Amy,'" her mother corrected.

"May I go and see Amy?" Cream said. "Please please please!"

"Be back for lunch," her mother said.

"I will!" Cream promised. But she wouldn't quite make it. Instead of going to Amy's house, Cream hurried to Tails'. Then she remembered that Tails' mother didn't like her. Maybe she _should_ go to Amy's. Amy wasn't scared of anybody, not even Tails' parents. She was just about to leave, when she saw a blue blur approaching.

"Sonic!" Cream shouted. "Help!"

Sonic stopped right in front of her. "What's the matter, Cream? Somebody scare you?"

Cream started crying. "DoctorEggmanmadeaCosmorobotandhe'sgoingtomakeitsayit'sreallyCosmoso- Tailswillthinkshecamebackandwhenhefindsoutshedidn'tbecauseshe'sarobothe'll…he'll…" She sank to her knees. "Please, Mister Sonic! I don't want Tails to hurt himself! Please save him! Please!"

"Whoa, hey!" Sonic said. "You know, anybody but me wouldn't have gotten what you just said, but I got the idea." His face grew dark. "That's the worst thing Eggman's ever tried to do! I won't forgive him for this! Where _is_ Tails?"

"I don't know!" Cream sobbed. "He might be home, but I'm…I'm scared of his mother! She's scary, and she yelled at me the other day!"

"Don't worry!" Sonic promised her. "We'll find Tails. Does he know about the robot?"

Cream nodded. "I told him last night. But I haven't seen him since then!"

Sonic sighed. "If I know Tails, he's probably gone after the robot," he said. "I'll just make sure he's not home first." He knocked on Tails' front door.

Tails' mother opened the door. "Oh," she said, "it's you!"

"Good morning, Ma'am," Sonic said. "May I see Tails?"

"He's out picking up comic books," Rosemary Prower said. "You'd better not be here to drag him off to fight another one of those stupid giant robots!"

"Who is it, dear?" Amadeus asked his wife. "Oh. You." He slammed the door in Sonic's face.

"That was so rude!" Cream said. "If I acted like that, I'd be in a lot of trouble!"

"Let's go, Cream!" Sonic said. They took off.

Tails headed towards Eggman's headquarters. He was furious. Killer robots were one thing. This was inexcusable! He'd pay for this one!

Then Tails saw her. His angel. At least, it sure looked like his angel. At first, he thought it was one of his visions. But it moved. Came closer and closer. Tails started to shake.

"It's just a robot!" he told himself over and over. "Just a robot! Just a robot!"

The figure of Cosmo came running up to him. Threw her arms around his neck, and sobbed, "Oh, Tails! I'm so happy to see you again! I've missed you so much!"

And despite everything his mind screamed at him, Tails returned the hug, and said, "I…I…I've missed you too…Cosmo!"

No one notice the small ship that crashed in a secluded grove hundreds of miles away The door suddenly burst open. A dark figure emerged. The ship exploded behind him, but he paid it no attention. It made no difference to him. Actually, very little made any difference to him.

"So," he said to himself, looking about, "this is Mobius. Looks like a thousand other worlds."

He began to run. His speed would have amazed anyone that saw it, if there had been anyone to see. He activated his shoes, and began to move in a skating motion.

His eyes narrowed as he thought of the past. A past he had only recently completely regained. He still had questions, but he suspected the doctor could answer them for him. He had always seemed to know much more than he let on. And he _would_ answer his questions, the spiky haired creature thought. There were ways to persuade him. He needed Eggman alive, but not necessarily in one piece.

A large rock blocked his path. The figure tossed a glowing spear at it. It exploded. The black and red hedgehog began to move faster. He fully expected this to be his last meeting with Doctor Eggman.

And so it was that Shadow the Hedgehog had arrived on Mobius. And his arrival would not be welcomed by anyone that knew him.

To be continued! Eight more chapters!


	23. Chapter 23: Losing You Again

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Losing You Again"

"Where do you think he might be, Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked the blue hedgehog. She was struggling to keep up with him. Sonic wasn't moving too fast. He was thinking.

"The Cosmo robot is probably coming from Eggman's headquarters," Sonic said, "so he'll be heading there to intercept it." He didn't tell the little bunny, but he was as worried as she was. Tails was just about on the edge, and seeing something that looked and sounded like Cosmo might be just enough to push him over. "Cream, listen, I…I'm going to try to find him. You should go home. Your mother will be worried about you."

"Never mind about me!" Cream told him firmly. "Go after Tails! Hurry, Mr. Sonic! Please hurry!"

As Sonic pulled ahead of her, Cream thought that maybe she should get more help. She was fairly close to Amy's house, so she hurried there. She landed near Amy's front door, hurried onto the porch, and knocked. There was no answer, so she knocked again.

"That better not be a salesman!" she heard Amy yell. The door flew open. Amy was in her nightgown. She had green stuff on her face, and a curler in her hand. "Oh, Cream! Hi! Kind of later for you to come over, isn't it?"

"Oh Amy!" Cream sobbed, throwing her arms around her best friend. "It's so awful!" She now had green stuff on one of her ears.

"What? What is?" Amy asked. " What happened, Cream? Is Vanilla all right?"

"Well, she'll be very angry at me for being out this late," Cream said, "but I'm sure she's fine! It's Tails, Amy!" She started crying.

Amy led Cream inside and got her to tell her everything. Amy took the avocado off her face and got dressed while she listened. She became more and more furious the whole time.

"I'm gonna kill that Eggman!" she yelled finally. "You go ahead, Cream!" Amy said, locking her front door. "I'll catch up as soon as I can!"

************

"It's so wonderful to see you again, Tails!" the likeness of Cosmo said. "I survived the destruction of Dark Oak by tapping into the power of the chaos emeralds and planet eggs and using chaos control at the last possible instant. But I was lost in space, and unable to contact you. I was picked up by a friendly ship of Metarex fighters, who finally managed to bring me here."

Tails sobbed. She sounded just like her. He looked at her face. If he hadn't known that this was a robot, he would have believed its lies. But what should he do now? By rights, he should try to destroy it, but he knew that he could never do that.

"Don't be sad Tails," the robot said. "Didn't I promise I would always be right here by your side?"

Tails held the robot, but anger was building up inside of him. Eggman had been listening to his final conversation with Cosmo! He had programmed his machine to talk like her. To repeat things that only he and the real Cosmo should have known! He had ruined Tails life when he was four years old. His mother still treated him like he was that age. Couldn't face the fact that he was growing up. His parents were strangers to him. His brother was an enigma. And now this abomination. All because of Eggman.

"This is an insult to Cosmo's memory!" he thought, pulling away. The robot looked confused.

"Tails? What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me again?"

"Stop it!" Tails said. "Just…stop it!"

The robot reached out for him again. "I came back to you, Tails. Don't you want me?"

"I want Cosmo!" Tails cried.

"But I am Cosmo," the robot said. "Why are you hurting me, Tails? What have I done to you?"  
"You're not Cosmo!" Tails screamed. "I know what you are! You're one of Eggman's robots!"

The robot seemed confused now. "What? No, I…I am Cosmo! We saved the universe together, Tails! Why are you being so mean to me? I thought you loved me!" She started crying.

"Stop whining!" Tails demanded. "Eggman just assumed that Cosmo was a crybaby, and built you that way. But Cosmo had good reason to cry. She lost her family and friends and never had a normal life! What do you know about loss?"  
The robot was really confused now. "But…but I am Cosmo. Yes, I _am _Cosmo! Can't you see that?"

"You're not conning me anymore, are you?" Tails asked, shocked. "You…really think that, don't you? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But you're not Cosmo! You're a machine, built by Dr. Eggman to hurt me!"

"But…but you are my love," the robot said, reaching for him. "You…you are rejecting me?" Her blue eyes turned red. She grabbed Tails in a grip of steel. "If you won't love me, then…then I will destroy you!"

"Why not?" Tails thought. "I killed Cosmo. Why shouldn't something that looks like her pay me back?" It would be so easy not to fight this thing. He would be with Cosmo again. But she expected him to live a long and happy life. Had begged him to do so. Wanted him to love again.

"If you love me," he said hoarsely, "like you say you do, then how can you destroy me?" But it was only then that he realized the robot, although holding him tightly, was making no effort to hurt him.

"Eggman did too good a job," he said softly. "You don't want to hurt me, do you?"

"I…I…" the robot released him. She staggered about. "Must kill Miles Prower…yet cannot kill Miles Prower…yet must…yet cannot…yet…Error! Cannot compute solution! Please! Please help me! Tell me…what to do!"

"I…I don't know!" Tails admitted. Despite knowing what this thing was, he reached out to her. Stroked her hair. "I don't know what you should do! But if you want to turn against Eggman…if you want to find your own place in the world…I swear I'll help you the best that I can." He took the robot in his arms again. Then he gasped. Sonic! Cream would tell Sonic about her! And Sonic would rush out to protect him, and…

"We have to go!" he said.

"What?" Metal Cosmo cried. "I…don't understand!"

"Sonic!" Tails explained, taking the robot's hand. "He'll be after you! Come with me! I'll save you!"

"Please," Tails prayed, "please let me save this Cosmo at least!"

************

"I'm coming for you, mad man!" a small dark figure muttered, racing through the night. His red eyes allowed him to see in all but total darkness. He began to skate around obstacles in his path, rather than destroy them. He didn't want Eggman to know he was coming too soon. Not that he was afraid of the doctor. He was the Ultimate Life Form. He could not be stopped. History had shown him that death was very nearly impossible for him.

As he continued forward, he remembered his shame. He had attempted to kill someone that was a kindred spirit. Someone who had suffered and lost everything. Had he been jealous of the little plant girl? Because she was able to move on and live again, while he was trapped thinking the same thoughts he had thought so many years ago? He would have liked to have thought he had attacked her to spare her the horror of learning the truth about herself. But that would be a lie. Perhaps it was because of Molly. He had been racing to her, to protect her, when…" He blinked. No. Best not to remember what had happened to Molly. Best to keep on thinking that she was out there, somewhere. A fool's fantasy, he knew. Just like his dream that Maria had somehow survived. But even if she had, he knew her prognosis. What the doctors had said about her. Wasn't that why she was on the ARK, when she wished so much to be around other people? Again he pushed the thoughts away. Memories he didn't want had returned to him. But some that he needed had not.

But he suspected Eggman had them. And as painful as they might be, he knew he had to have them all. Every minute with Maria he could possibly recall, he wanted back. And he would get them. No matter what attrocities he might have to commit to get them.

************

"Why do you do this?" Metal Cosmo asked yet again as Tails came down for a landing on a mountain. "Why do you try to help me? I am not your Cosmo. You said so yourself. And I have been programmed to destroy you. Why should you care about me? I am a machine!"

"Why?" Tails asked the robot. "Because it wouldn't be right to let you die!" He looked around. "I think…I think you'll be safe here. But you'll have to stay in hiding, Co…Miss. Until I can convince Sonic that you're not a threat to anyone."

Tails found Metal Cosmo a small cave and told her to stay inside until he came back for her. He started to promise to bring her back food, but caught himself. If she was damaged in any way, he was reasonably sure that he could repair her. When he came back, he'd do a diagnostic on her. Make sure she was all right. Then he'd try to hack into her system, cleanse it of any viruses that might cause her to hurt someone. Beyond that, he had no idea what he was going to do with her. She wasn't Cosmo, and he couldn't keep looking at her and listening to her voice. Perhaps he could change her. Make her look and sound a little different. Then it wouldn't be so painful.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Tails promised. "Please, don't leave here. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Tails spun his tails and flew back down the mountain. He had to find Sonic. Reason with him. It was difficult sometimes, though. Sonic saw the world in black and white. People were with the angels, or with the devils. Tails had always felt that way, but had begun to see the grays in life. Maybe that was why Knuckles kept letting Eggman trick him. Maybe Knuckles wanted to believe that Eggman wasn't pure evil. Maybe Tails would have felt the same way, if the maniac hadn't tried this latest hoax.

************

"Mister Sonic!" Cream cried, hurrying towards the blue hedgehog, who was searching a large field. "Did you find him? Did you find Tails?"

"Don't worry, Cream," Sonic said. "I will! What took you so long to catch up?"

"I went to get Amy," Cream explained. "Tails is like her little brother. I thought she'd want to be here for Tails, in case he…he gets like he did…on the Blue Typhoon. That was so scary! The way he started screaming at everybody, then just…"

"I know," Sonic said, giving her a thumbs up. "Don't you worry, Cream. We're going to find Tails, get rid of the robot, and help him deal with this."

"But he's not dealing, is he, Mister Sonic?" Cream asked. "He's not dealing at all with what happened to Cosmo. I'm scared. I don't anything to happen to him. I…I…" She suddenly threw her arms around Sonic. "I love him! I love Tails, Mr. Sonic! And I don't know what to do about it!"

"Cream," Sonic said softly. "I…This is not a good time, Cream. Please. Let's concentrate on finding Tails before we worry about anything else."

Cream turned away, her face feeling like it was fire. She felt so stupid! What was wrong with her these days? Tails might be in terrible trouble right now, and she was crying about herself!

They headed towards the forest. It was while they were searching there that Amy Rose caught up to them.

"Man!" Amy wheezed. "You two are…so fast! I gotta…I gotta get that pink…plane Tails got me from the…Blue Typhoon and start…using it!" Her legs turned rubbery. Sonic reached out and caught her before they buckled under her.

"Amy!" Cream cried. "Oh no! Are you all right?!?"

"I'm fine!" Amy insisted. "Don't worry about me, Sonic! You have to find Tails!"

"We can take care of Amy, can't we Cheese?" Cream said, helping her best friend sit down on a rock.

"Chao chao!"

"Okay, if you're sure you're okay," Sonic said.

"Sonic," Amy said as he started to take off. "Tails loves going to the beach, so why are you headed towards the mountains?"

"I've got a bad feeling, since I've found no sign of battle anywhere, that…that Tails might have gone off with the robot, even though he knows Eggman built it to hurt him."

"But…but that would mean that Tails is crazy!" Amy said. Cream whimpered.

"I think he's getting worse," Sonic said. "I don't think he'd take a robot to the sea. Cosmo was a plant. She loved water. But that robot's metallic and electrical. He might worry it would get damaged near the water. Rust or self-destruct or something. But he likes the mountains almost as much as the sea. He might take it there. He sure can't take it home. Not with the parents he has!"

"Look!" Cream shouted, pointing at the sky. A small yellowish figure was descending from a mountain. There could be no doubt that it was Tails. Sonic, Amy, and Cream hurried towards him.

Sonic, of course, reached Tails first. The fox backed away from his nervously. "What…what are you doing here, Sonic?"

"You've already seen the robot, haven't you?" Sonic asked softly.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Tails stammered. "I-I was just…going for a walk! I-I-I do that now, you know. Go for long walks at night."

"I thought you stopped when your parents came home," Sonic asked, not buying a word.

"I…they don't need to know everything I do!" Tails finished lamely. "Please, Sonic! Let's--let's go someplace. You and me! Let's go running like we used to. When it was just you and me…before we joined the Freedom Fighters."

"What were you doing up on that mountain, Tails?" Sonic demanded.

"Mountain?" Tails said, sweating now. "Wh-what mountain? I was…I was…I was…" Tails was incredibly smart, but he was a lousy liar.

Sonic looked up at the mountain he'd seen Tails descend from. "That's where we fought that weird doll thing Eggman built of you, isn't it?"

"Tails Doll?" Tails said. "Y-yeah. Um…that was weird, wasn't it!"

"I'm sorry, Tails," Sonic said softly. Then he took off past him.

"Sonic! No!" Tails cried. He spun his tails and started after him. But Tails could only keep up with Sonic if the fastest thing alive wanted him to, and right now, Sonic did not. He didn't want Tails to be there when he did what he had to do.

Sonic raced up the mountain. Yes, this was definitely where he'd finally thrown that bizarre doll over the edge. And good riddance to it. Metal Sonic he could understand. He was creepy, but he could see himself in it. But Tails Doll. That thing had just been wrong. Had shown that Eggman thought nothing of Tails. That he wasn't even good enough to get a decent imitation.

"Where are you?!?" Sonic demanded. "Show yourself, faker!"

Metal Cosmo came slowly out of the cave. "So," she said, "you've come to destroy me. Very well, then. Let us begin the battle and have done with it!"

************

A small, dark figure approached Eggman's base. A flash of energy blew up the guard post. Two robots scurried out, only to be smashed by a single spin dash. The figure grabbed the electric fence. Current coursed through him. "Chaos blast!" The fence and surrounding area exploded. The figure continued forward. This ended now.

When the guard post was destroyed, alarms went off all over Eggman's compound. "What-what's going on around here?!?" Eggman yelled, falling out of bed. "Why can't I see anything?" Then he remembered he was wearing a mask to help him sleep. He tore it off. "Bokkun! Bocoe! Decoe! What's all the commotion?"

"We are being attacked, Sir!" Bocoe said.

"It appears to be Sonic!" Decoe added.

"Sonic?!?" Eggman cried. "He must have found out about my little playmate for Tails already! Have my killer robots ready for the attack while I get dressed!"

"Sir! Sir!" Bokkun cried, flying into the room. He crashed into Eggman, knocking him over.

"Oof!" Eggman yelled. He grabbed Bokkun by the neck. "You lamebrain! What is your problem?"

"We're being attacked!" Bokkun cried.

"I know, imbecile!" Eggman said, tossing Bokkun across the room. "By Sonic. And probably Amy Rose and Knucklehead too!"

"No, Sir!" Bokkun cried, struggling to free himself from Eggman's blanket. "It's not Sonic! It's Shadow!"

"Shadow?!?" Eggman, Bocoe, and Decoe all cried. Eggman rushed to his lab. He stared at a screen. Sure enough, Shadow the Hedgehog had invaded his compound.

"Decoe, you're as color blind as Amy Rose!" Eggman yelled. "How could you think that's Sonic?!?"

"I thought Shadow died!" Decoe said.

"Why is he attacking us, Sir?" Bocoe asked. "I thought he was on our side!"

"The final explosion that should have killed him might have restored enough of his memory that he remembers I've lied to him about his past!" Eggman decided. "Good grief! He's come to kill me! Quick! Deploy every robot we have here! Even the ones that aren't quite ready to go yet!"

"Yes, Sir!" Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun cried, saluting him.

************

Sonic was caught off guard by how much the robot looked like Cosmo. He mentally cursed Eggman. If it had shook him up, what had seeing it done to poor Tails.

"Where is Tails?" Metal Cosmo demanded. "What have you done with him?"

"That's none of your concern," Sonic said. "Nothing personal, but I'm going to have to destroy you. Your very existence must hurt Tails. And I would die…or kill…to keep him safe."

"Sonic, no!" That was Tails. The fox was flying towards them, a look of horror on his face.

"Go back, Tails!" Sonic cried. "I don't want you to see what I'm going to have to do now!"

Metal Cosmo rose to her feet. One hand became a gun. She fired, but Sonic was much too fast.

"Look out, Tails!" Sonic cried. "She'll shoot you!"

"No!" Metal Cosmo insisted. "That I will not do!" The gun suddenly became a hand again. Metal Cosmo rushed at Sonic. He threw her against a rock.

"Stop it!" Tails sobbed, throwing himself in front of the robot. "Leave her alone, Sonic!"

"Tails," Sonic said softly, trying to get around the fox. "Tails…that's not Cosmo. You know it isn't. But it _is_ dangerous. Now please, little buddy…just move out of the way and let me do what we both know has to be done."

Tails shook his head. "No, Sonic!" he sobbed. "I _know_ this isn't really Cosmo! Don't you think I know?! I'm not crazy! I'm not! But…she looks so much like her, so…so how can she be bad?"

"She was built by Eggman," Sonic pointed out.

"So was Breezie," Tails said, sounding desperate now. "She tried to lead you into traps, get you killed! But she rebelled against her programming! And…and Emerl…remember him?!?"

"Tails!" came a voice behind him. Cream. "Cream, help me out here!" Tails sobbed. "You cared about Emerl. He was somebody special to you!"

"Yes…" Cream said sadly. "Yes, he was, Tails!"

"Eggman may have made him, but he wasn't bad," Tails said. "He was our friend! Tell him, Cream! Tell Sonic that this robot that looks like Cosmo isn't bad just because Eggman built her! That she can fight her programming, like Emerl fought his!

"But…but he couldn't keep fighting his programming!" Cream pointed out to him. "He went out of control, and…and…and we all know what I had to do to him! It's dangerous trusting one of Eggman's robots, Tails!" But hadn't she only found out about this because Bokkun, one of Eggman's robots, had warned her? Was she betraying Tails by siding with Sonic now? Sonic wasn't even trying to listen to Tails. She looked at the robot. It looked so much like her friend! "It really is like Cosmo is back with us again!" she said to herself. But it wasn't Cosmo. Confused, the little bunny said nothing more.

Tails bit his lip. If even Cream was against him, then maybe he _was _wrong. Maybe he _was_ crazy. But the robot had made no real attempt to kill him, even once she knew that he was aware that she was a robot.

"That's enough, Tails!" Sonic said, stepping forward. "I'm sorry, I really am. But what you're doing is dangerous and unhealthy. I can't let you keep that robot. Even if it _didn't_ go rogue, I'm afraid of what having it around would do to you. I don't want you taking it home and calling it Cosmo. I don't want you to try to build a future, hopes, dreams, on a lie. Please, little buddy. Stand aside and let me do what has to be done. I promise it'll be quick. I won't make her suffer."

Tails turned towards the robot. So beautiful. He shut his eyes, then opened them again and muttered one word to the machine: "Run!" He whirled, and rushed at Sonic.

Metal Cosmo considered her options. Her programming said that she should shoot Tails in the back while he was fighting Sonic. But he had befriended her. Protected her. Was fighting his best friend, her worst enemy, in order to protect her. She considered attacking Sonic. But wasn't he only doing what he believed was the right thing?

Something in her mechanical brain snapped. Metal Cosmo turned and ran.

Sonic pushed Tails out of his way. He sped off after the robot.

Tails spun his Tails and pursued. "Noo!" he cried. "Let her go, Sonic! Just let her escape! She can't hurt us now that we know what she is!"

But Sonic was determined not to let this abomination harm his little brother again. He spun dashed the robot, knocking it down.

"Destroy Sonic the Hedgehog!" Metal Cosmo said, shooting bullets from her fingertips. Sonic dodged them, but one hit Tails in the arm. He fell, crying out in pain.

"No!" Metal Cosmo cried. "You made me hurt Tails! You must be eliminated!" Tentacles burst from her shoulders, wrapping around Sonic. Amy and Cream both gasped. Cosmo had never had any power like that. But Dark Oak, in his dragon form, had. Would Cosmo have developed such an ability if she had lived? It was a frightening thought. So alien to Mobians. And anything alien tended to be feared and hated.

Amy Rose, finally arriving, rushed forward as Sonic was dragged off his feet. "Let my Sonic go!" she screamed, bringing her pico-pico hammer down on the robot's head. Clang!

"Stop it!" Tails sobbed. He wanted to help, but he was still bleeding. He needed something to bind the bullet wound with. Then Cream's arms were around him.

"It's all right!" the little bunny whispered. She tore off a piece of her nightgown and tied it around Tails' arm. While they had been on the Blue Typhoon, Tails and Chris had given everyone first aid training. "That's not Cosmo, Tails. Please don't cry! We only want to do what's best for you!"

"Then save her," Tails moaned. "Please…save her!"

Cream's face hardened. "Please forgive me, Amy," she whispered. Then she leaped at her best friend.

"Cream?!" Amy cried as the little bunny grabbed her arm, stopping her from hitting the robot again. "What do you think you're doing?!?"

"Please don't make me choose between you and Tails, Amy!" Cream sobbed. "I love you both…but in different ways!"

"Please, Cosmo," Tails begged. "If…if Sonic promises to stop attacking you, will you…will you cease your attack on him?"

"I must follow my programming, Tails-san," the robot said in Cosmo's voice.

"Fight your programming!" Tails sobbed. "I can help you! I can reprogram you, remove the evil Eggman placed in you. You can join us!"

"You talk about dreams," Metal Cosmo said. "I am a machine! I cannot dream. I am either online or offline. Do not interfere, Tails-san. I do not wish to harm _you_!"

"You see, Sonic?" Tails said. "She has a conscience! She's not just an unfeeling automaton! You have to give her a chance!"

Perhaps Sonic would have stopped. Perhaps he would have at least considered it. But Metal Cosmo leaped at him again. Sonic rushed to meet her attack.

"NOOO!!!"

************

"Get him!" Eggman yelled, sending seven giant robots against the small, lone figure. "Protect your master!" Eggman was sweating bullets now. Sonic had never stood up against so many of Eggman's robots at one time, but then, Sonic had never attacked with such anger. Such fury. Sonic was an animal. A living creature. Shadow was a science project his grandfather had produced that was now running amok. Just like Biolizard had. Just like…

KA-BOOM! A robot's head crashed not far from where Eggman was hiding.

"Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled, attacking another machine. BA-ROOM! "Your army is dwindling fast, Doctor!" Another robot pounded Shadow , driving him into the ground.

Eggman watched nervously. Had the hedgehog finally been stopped? He had something for emergencies like this, but would he get the chance to reach it?

SKRASK! Shadow took the robot's hand in half. He flung the halves away from him. Then he leaped into the air, spun, and crashed into the robot's face. He burst out the back of the robot's head.

Eggman decided to make a run for it now. He would have one chance to stop Shadow, but if the Ultimate Life Form knew what he was planning, his plan--and his life--would both end before he could blink.

************

Metal Cosmo staggered to the very edge of the cliff. "Systems damage: 75%. Switching to emergency power."

"Stop it!" Tails sobbed, throwing himself at Sonic. This was all too much like a replay of another time. Another horrible event. When Shadow had tried to kill Cosmo on the Blue Typhoon. It was happening again! One of the worst moments in Tails' life was replaying itself, right before his eyes, and he was helpless to do a thing about it!

"Tails, you need help, little buddy!" Sonic said, prying Tails off of him. "I'm sorry. But you know this isn't right. It's for the best if I destroy this thing. Please, get away from here. I don't want you to watch."

"Let her go!" Tails pleaded. "Please, Sonic! Just let her disappear!"

"Why do you care?" Metal Cosmo asked. "I am not your Cosmo. You said so yourself. Why then does my fate matter to you?"

"Because you look like her!" Tails said. "Because you're beautiful! And beautiful things should never be destroyed!"

"I am a machine!" she cried. "And I must do what I must! Sayonara, Tails-san!" She leaped at Sonic. They wrestled for a few moments. Then Sonic knocked her over the edge of the cliff. She fell quickly. Eggman had not given her the power to float like the real Cosmo.

"No!" Tails screamed. "NO!!!" He raced to the edge and looked over. "I can't see her!" He whirled on Sonic. "You killed her again!" he sobbed. "You killed Cosmo again!" He clenched his fists. Tails swung and hit Sonic in the chest. Then in the stomach. Sonic stood there quietly and took it for a minute.

"Tails, that's enough," Sonic said at last, grabbing the fox's shoulders. "You know that was just a machine of Eggman's. It wasn't Cosmo!"

"I don't care!" Tails wailed. "It looked like her! It sounded like her!"

"It had no future, little buddy," Sonic said. "Don't you see? It would never have been accepted anywhere."

"You mean like we weren't on Earth at first?" Tails demanded. "Do you mean like Cosmo wouldn't have been accepted here if she had come back with us?" He pulled away from the hedgehog. "Leave me alone!" he yelled, running. "I mean it! Everybody, just stay away from me!"

"Sonic, go after him!" Amy cried.

"No," Sonic said quietly. "He--he hates me now." Sonic looked away. "And…and I think I might have just made a terrible mistake, Amy!"

"Tails!" Cream shouted, flying after him the fox. "Tails! Please come back!"

************

"CHAOS BLAST!"

The last of the giant robots went down. Eggman was desperate now. All he had left were Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun, and the three of them together wouldn't last ten seconds against Shadow.

"Please, Shadow!" Eggman cried, dropping to his knees. "You're-you're not going to--kill me in cold blood--are you?"

"Why not?" Shadow demanded, stepping closer to the doctor. "I would have killed Cosmo in cold blood, and she sacrificed herself to save the universe. You…you're just a blight on that universe. I would be doing a lot of people a favor if I dealt with you once and for all."

"But…but I can help you!" Eggman said desperately.

"And so you shall," Shadow said. "So you shall!" He grabbed Eggman by his shoulders and slammed him against the wall. "You know things about me that you've never told. I want it all, fat man! Every single last bit." He held Eggman with his left hand, and pulled back his right. Glowing energy crackled between his fingers and palm. "If you leave out _anything_…I will know…and I will kill you for it! Do we understand one another…Doctor?"

Eggman swallowed, and nodded nervously. "I swear, Shadow, I will tell you everything I know!" So close. Less than ten feet from the weapon that might stop Shadow. But there was no chance to get it. Not now, at least…

************

"Tails!" Cream sobbed, catching up to him. "What--what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Tails said dully. He stopped running, but kept walking. Cream landed and started walking beside him.

They went along in silence for awhile. Finally, Cream said, "Are you all right, Tails? Is there anything I can do for you? Anything?"

Tails smiled sadly at her. "You're the only person I can really count on, Cream," he admitted. "Sonic let me down. Again. Do you…do you think my protecting that robot was crazy?"

"She seemed nice, until Mister Sonic made her fight him," Cream said. "But you mustn't blame Sonic, Tails. He was just trying to help. He's worried about you, you know. So am I. We all are."

"Yeah," Tails said. Cream sighed. Whenever Tails said "yeah" lately, she'd noticed he seemed really depressed. She was trying so hard to help him. To find a way to mend his heart. But Amy and Vector and now Sonic had hurt him again. And Eggman… Cream remembered once, on the Blue Typhoon, Cosmo told her that she had never known hatred until the Metarex had destroyed her family. All of the times Cream had fought Doctor Eggman, she had never really hated him. But she had learned to hate Dark Oak. And now Cream felt the same feeling for Eggman. What he had done this time could never be forgiven.

"Tails?" she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to get revenge against Doctor Eggman for doing this to you?" Cream asked.

"I think it would be an insult to Cosmo if I let him get away with that," Tails said hoarsely. "I stopped taking him seriously when we were facing the Metarex. But now…now I feel the same way I did when I saw how sad Cosmo was. Because her family and friends were gone forever. In a way, I want to feel this way, because Cosmo felt the same pain, and it's something I can have in common with her. But it hurts too much to keep this sort of pain inside."

"I'm sorry, Tails," Cream said after a few minutes of silence.

"For what?" Tails asked.

"Well…I told Sonic about the Cosmo robot," Cream admitted. " I guess I should have kept my big mouth shut."

Tails sighed. "Cream," he said softly, "I know you mean well, but sometimes you can be annoying."

Cream gasped Cheese flew in his face. "Chao chao chao!"

"Look who's talking, huh?" Tails said. "I guess I've been a jerk ever since we got back from space. Five months now. How do you put up with me?"

"Because I love you," Cream thought. But now was not the time to bring that up. "I'm trying my best, Tails," she said. "I really want to make everyone happy. Is that wrong? Am I just a busybody? A stupid little child, trying to get everybody have a big happy ending?"

"Don't put yourself down, Cream," Tails said. "I know you were just trying to help me. And so was Sonic. But he never gave her a chance. And you did. So who's the true friend here?"

Cream gasped again. "Tails! Of course Sonic's your friend!!"

"Is he?" Tails asked. "Is he really?"

************

"This disc will tell me everything I need to know?" Shadow demanded. "Everything Doctor Gerald planned for me? For Maria?"

"It contains everything I've held back from you, Shadow, I swear it!" Eggman said nervously. Now that Shadow had what he wanted, it was just possible he'd kill Eggman anyway. Again, Eggman looked over at the one thing that might save him. But did he dare make a move towards it? If only he hadn't sent Metal Sonic halfway around the world to oversee his mining operation! His greatest achievement, too far away for it to get there in time, even with its great speed. But maybe. Just maybe.

"Play it, Doctor," Shadow said. "And keep your hands where I can see them!"

"Of course, Shadow!" Eggman said, placing the disc in a player and pressing a button. But he'd watch Shadow and not the screen. And when the Ultimate Life Form was entranced by what he was about to learn…Eggman would make his move.

************

Metal Cosmo lay at the bottom of the mountain. She was cracked here and there, and her left arm was twisted. But her face was still beautiful. Her eyes opened. The left one was now just a little higher than the right. She slowly staggered to her feet. One hip was slightly out of joint. She walked with a limp.

"He doesn't want me!" Metal Cosmo said. "He doesn't love me! I have no purpose for being now!"

"Everyone has a purpose," a strange voice said. "You just have to find out what it is."

"Who said that?" Metal Cosmo asked, looking around. She was surprised to see a strange doll, floating towards her. It looked vaguely like Tails, but appeared to have been very poorly made. Some sort of antenna poked out of its forehead, with a jewel at the end.

"What…are you?" Metal Cosmo asked.

"You're so pretty," the doll said. "If you like, I'll be your friend. Stay with me. Love me. Let me mend your broken heart."

"I'm a robot," Metal Cosmo said, "I have no heart. And you're funny looking, but…" She put her still good arm around the strange doll. "No one wants to be alone."

"You'll never be alone again," the doll promised. "Now come, there's a great big world ahead of us. Just for you and me. Can you feel the sunshine?"

"I…yes, I think I can." Metal Cosmo laid her head on Tails Doll's shoulder as they went off together.

*********

No real plans for using these two again, but I thought they'd make a good pair. Might have Eggman build a Metal Cream someday and have them fight over him. And there's nothing in Sonic R that says Tails Doll is cursed, so I'm not sure, if I bring him back, how I'll handle him. Any ideas?

Next time, Tails confronts Shadow! This will not be good. Seven more to go.


	24. Chapter 24: Tails' Future?

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Tails' Future?"

Tails' parents were waiting for him when he got home.

"Where were you, young man? You said you were coming right back!" his mother demanded.

"Do you enjoy making your mother worry?" his father added. "Where are the comic books you said you were getting? Did you even go to the store?"

"What?" Tails said. Stay out a couple of hours, and walk home to this? They meant well, but Tails was used to living on his own. He had become a free spirit, like Sonic, and they were stifling him. He just wished he could explain that to them.

"That hedgehog friend of yours talked you into some sort of wild party or something, didn't he?" his father went on.

Tails snorted. "We're not speaking right now," he said. "If he comes over later today, tell him to leave."

"Good boy!" his father said, slapping Tails on the back.

"I'm sure you can make much better friends anyway," his mother suggested. "Friends closer to your own age. And not crazy like that Amy Rose girl."

Tails left his parents as soon as he could and went to his room. He locked his door, then crawled under his bed. There, with no one to see him cry, Tails let the tears building all this time loose. He was crying not just for the destruction (or so he thought) of Metal Cosmo, but also for what he felt might be the final shattering of the Unbreakable Bond he thought he and Sonic would have forever.

Suddenly, a memory jumped into his head. Chris had just come to their world. Cosmo had asked Sonic, "Sonic? Who is that boy?' And Sonic had told her, "He's my best friend!"

"Well if you like Chris better than me, why don't you just chaos control your way back to Earth and stay there?!" Tails sobbed. Sonic had been his hero since he was four. Tails had always done his best to be just like him.

"Chris might have been lonely for his parents, but he had friends, and his mom and dad really did care about him, and…and he didn't need you like I did!" Tails said out loud. "But you keep disappointing me!" Perhaps it was only just then that Tails realized Sonic wasn't perfect. That his hero had feet of clay. Cream had wanted to walk him home, but he had been afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold in the tears, and didn't want to cry in front of her. He had walked her to her own house.

"You…you call me if you need anything, okay?" she had said. "I mean it, Tails! I really care about you!"

"Thanks, but I'll be okay," he had told her.

"You're the only one I can count on now, Cream!" Tails said softly. "I just hope you fall out of love with me. I don't want to break your heart."

After an hour or so, Tails went back to his workshop. He was in a bad mood, and decided to wait until the next day to ask Cream to help him transfer Cosmo's plant into the greenhouse.

"I think it's time we complained about that Parlouzer boy dragging Miles into trouble all the time," Amadeus told his wife in the kitchen a few minutes later.

"This all seems to be _his_ fault," Rosemary agreed, pouring her husband tea. "He killed that poor little girl. He drove Rosey the Rascal out of her mind, and now that poor little bunny girl I told you about is being corrupted! And this sweet girl named Ginger that Miles has been seeing told me simply shocking news, dear! Apparently, Sonic asked Ginger out, and when she said no, he started spreading vicious rumors about her all over the country! Even Princess Sally believes his lies!"

"Well, she never was very bright," Amadeus said, taking a sip of tea. "And her brother, King Elias, spent some time in a mental ward."

"That…that won't happen to our little Miles…will it?" Rosemary asked, nearly dropping her tea cup.

Amadeus patted his wife's hand. "Don't worry, dear. I'm sure if we just keep him away from those hedgehogs, he'll be fine in no time."

************

"My name is Gerald Lucias Kintobor, and if you are watching this film, then I am dead. I pray that the things I have done have died with me. Foolishly, I decided to play god, and He will punish me for my actions. As you know, or you would not have been interested in this film, I created several beings of unbelievable power some years ago. The first, my prototype, was a reptilian creature I have called Biolizard. He proved to be uncontrollable, and was locked away. His potential for violence was horrifying. He possessed a dull mind, and no conscious."

"A picture of a small, harmless looking lizard in an incubator appeared. After a minute, it was replaced with footage of a much larger lizard, in chains, trying to claw Doctor Gerald's eyes out.

"My next experiment was the one I was most hopeful for."

An image appeared on the screen. It was of a tiny black hedgehog inside of an incubator. Shadow gasped. "It's…me!"

"I shall this one Shadow," the doctor continued. "He was grown from stem cells provided me by a mysterious benefactor. An actual living space alien! He says he is a priest of an intergalactic religion, and wishes to unify the universe. But I do not trust him. Not after I observed one of his servants, who are called the Black Arms, pursue and devour a dog. These creatures seem to have only rudimentary intellect, and vicious dispositions. It is possible that they may possess a group hive mind, like many forms of insects. If one dies, I will be quick to dissect it."

Shadow gasped. "He made me from alien DNA?!?" Shadow pounded the table beside him. "Blast him! No wonder I'm a monster!"

"My purpose for Shadow was simple at first. My beloved granddaughter, Maria, was diagnosed with an incurable illness that will eventually leave her on life support before it finally snuffs out her young life. My hope was to develop a cure for Maria in Shadow's body, then transfer his blood and organs into her to save her life."

Shadow's blood ran cold. He was just an organ donor! Nothing more.

"But Maria's condition continued to deteriorate. When I saw that I could not save her, I decided to use Shadow for another, grander purpose. My benefactor provided me with a strange glowing gem. Attempts to analyze it failed. It's power levels were simply far too high." He held up a familiar object.

"A chaos emerald!" Shadow cried.

Doctor Eggman watched Shadow's face. "When Grandpa reaches the most interesting part, he'll be so mesmerized, I'll be able to make my move!"

************

Cream came in crying.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Vanilla asked. She helped her daughter into a chair and made her some chamomile tea.

Cream started telling her mother about Metal Cosmo, and Tails and Sonic fighting. She left out Bokkun and sneaking out last night, although she felt guilty for doing that. She was just getting to where she and Amy were hurrying to find Sonic and Tails when the phone rang.

"Just a moment, dear," Vanilla said, going to the living room. Tails had given her a cell phone, but Vanilla preferred speaking through the land line.

"Hello?" Vanilla said. "Who is this, please?"

"This is Rosemary Prower," she heard. "I'm Miles' mother. I thought I should call and tell you that your little girl's friend, Amy Rose, is a terrible influence on her."

Vanilla nearly dropped the phone. "I…beg your pardon?" she said.

"I was with the mall with Miles the other day, picking out cute little outfits for him, when your little girl, Dream, isn't it?"

"Cream," Vanilla corrected. She realized she was squeezing the phone so tightly it was hurting her hand, and loosened her grip. "What, exactly, is this all about?" she demanded.

"Well, I'm getting to that," the other woman said. "You see, your little girl showed up with Rosey the Rascal, and they started trying on outfits, and, well I'm sure it's not your daughter's fault, it's probably Rosey's fault, since she's been chasing that Nikki Parlouzer boy all these years, but…"

"I'm sorry?" Vanilla said, sitting down. "I'm afraid I'm not quite following you now. Are you saying Amy Rose made my daughter do something to Sonic?"

"No, not Sonic, you silly woman," Rosemary said. "Miles! Your Cream brought over the skimpiest swimsuit I've ever seen, and asked Miles if he'd like her to model it for him! Are you familiar with a simply dreadful woman named Rouge? I'm sure you don't want your girl to end up like that bat."

Vanilla started muttering under her breath.

"Pardon?" Rosemary said. "I didn't catch that."

"I will speak to my daughter," Vanilla said in a cold voice. "Thank you so much for calling Mrs. Prower. Good day to you!" She hung up the phone.

"Mom?" Cream said. "Who was…? Mrs. Prower? Tails' mother? Why do you look so angry?"

"Excuse me just a moment, darling!" Vanilla said, heading down the hall. She opened the door to the basement, closed it behind her, and went downstairs.

Knowing she shouldn't follow, but dying of curiosity, Cream opened the door and gasped as she heard her mother say several words that would get her in trouble for a month if she'd said them. Cream decided to go to bed fast.

************

Sonic walked Amy home. He didn't say anything, and Amy wasn't sure how to start a conversation at that time.

Finally, Sonic asked, "Do you think I should have let that robot escape?"

Amy considered this. "I don't know, Sonic," she said at last. "It didn't seem really dangerous. But then, neither did our son."

Sonic moaned. "Amy," he said, "Emerl was one of Eggman's robots. He wasn't our child."

"You have no imagination," Amy accused him. "There's no poetry in your soul. That's why you couldn't leave that Cosmo robot alone." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Sonic. I know this is bothering you a lot more than you're letting on. I can tell by how quiet you are."

"She can read me like a book," Sonic thought. "Sally was so often wrong about what I was thinking. Maybe…maybe…" He looked Amy over. She _was_ very cute. Maybe, if she hadn't gone to live all that time with her cousin, Rob O'the Hedge, and picked up all those rough ways…

"I've noticed since you got your hammers, you don't bring your crossbow along anymore," Sonic said.

"Well, hammers hurt, but arrows can kill," Amy said. "And you asked me awhile back to be very careful about that. Tails doesn't really hate you, you know."

"Maybe not," Sonic said. "But he's very disappointed in me. And that's just as bad. I'm not his superhero anymore."

"Tails is growing up," Amy pointed out, putting an arm around Sonic. "He needs to become his own man, Sonic. You can help him, but he has to decide who he's going to be by himself."

Sonic shook his head. "I always thought, by the time Tails started growing up, we'd all be free. Free of Eggman. Mammoth Mogul. All those madmen. But it seems like, the more we do, the more crazies keep showing up. I'm afraid the Metarex were just the latest in a long string of wars." He looked Amy in the eyes. "Should I stop Eggman? I mean…for good?"

"Sonic…" Amy said softly. She stroked his face. "You're not a killer. You can't just kick down Eggman's front door and tear him apart. Heroes don't do that sort of thing. And you may or may not be Tails' superhero anymore…but you'll always be mine!" She bent to kiss him.

Sonic pushed her away. "Amy…please."

"But…but I thought…" Amy snarled. "I can't handle these mixed messages you've been giving me lately! It's not fair! Don't get my hopes up, then throw them back in my face!" She was about to have one of her trademarked Amy fits when she noticed his face. He looked confused and lost. She looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry. I know you're having trouble right now. You and Tails. I just get frustrated sometimes."

Sonic struggled to think of something to say. "I-I-I just found my little sister, Anita. She was being held prisoner by Metal Sonic. She's in the hospital, but the doctor says she'll be okay."

"That's great, Sonic," Amy said. "I'm happy for you." And despite her feelings about him at the moment, she really was.

"I should probably get back to the hospital and check on her," Sonic said. He started to run, then looked back at her. "Would you…like to come with me?"

Amy put her hand in his. "Sure," she said.

************

"By experimenting with this strange artifact, which I have dubbed a 'chaos emerald,' I have realized that it can somehow increase the physical and mental abilities of living creatures," Doctor Gerald continued. "Further study has shown that it may be able to boost the abilities of certain machinery if properly designed. I am hopeful that it will increase the usefulness of robots and computers. Perhaps it may even allow me to build a device with true artificial intelligence. When I asked my benefactor what it was and where he had obtained it, he said only that I did not need to know those things at the time. His insistence in avoiding my questions has convinced me that I should have nothing more to do with him. But convincing him of this will not be easy."

"Who _is_ this mysterious benefactor?" Shadow asked. "More, Doctor! Please, tell me more!"

Eggman grinned. Just a little longer, and he'd be able to make his move!

The film changed to Maria, about ten years old, coaxing a tiny hedgehog to walk to her.

"Come on, Shadow! You can do! That's my boy!"

"Maria!" Shadow said, touching the screen. "Maria…I'm sorry! I couldn't save you!"

Maria picked him up. She giggled. "You're so cute, Shadow! Yes you are! Yes you are!"

"Maria…" Eggman, edging away now, didn't see that the Ultimate Life Form now had tears in his eyes.

"Now!" Eggman said to himself, pressing a button on the far wall. A sliding panel opened up and he dived through it. It closed behind him. Shadow hadn't even noticed.

"Maria," the girl said, pointing to herself. "Maria. Come on, you can say it! Say my name! Ma-ri-a!"

"Mawia!" Shadow said.

"That's it!" Maria said, clapping her hands. "Good boy, Shadow!"

"Mawia!" little Shadow said again. "Mawia!"

"Maria!" Shadow sobbed. He still hadn't noticed that Eggman was gone.

"How sweet!" Eggman thought. "It would melt my cold, cold heart--if I had one!" He hurried to his lab. He had a surprise for Shadow.

"I love you, Shadow!" Maria said in the film.

"I love you too, Maria!" Shadow said softly.

Then the film changed again. Shadow was upset at first. Then he was shocked. Another creature had appeared on the screen.

"Then I began work on Project Glory," Doctor Kintobor said. A tiny amber-colored creature lay in an incubator. "Whereas Shadow and Biolizard were physical mutations, I decided that Glory would be a mental mutation. I was able to boost her intellect until her intelligence quotient was well over three hundred! To my fascination, however, she proved to develop other abilities I had not dared hope for!"

The creature, a chinchilla, was strapped to a chair. Doctor Gerald placed food in front of her. She tried to reach it, but her arms were too short.

"Not like that!" Gerald said. "Bring it to you! Go on!"

The chinchilla shut her purple eyes. When she opened them again, they were black, with flickering lights like stars in them. The food floated over to her.

The scene changed to an older chinchilla. A metal beam rose off the ground. It tied itself into a knot, then fell onto the floor.

"I believe that in time Glory may exceed even Shadow's potential. For there is only so much that can be done with muscles and bones. But the mind! Ah, the mind!"

Again the scene changed. Glory sat in a chair. Gerald stood across the room. "What am I thinking, Glory?"

"You are thinking that your granddaughter, Maria, is growing too close to your other creation, Shadow," Glory said in an emotionless voice.

"Why didn't I know about you?" Shadow asked the screen.

Doctor Gerald seemed to have heard him.

"I believe it is best to keep Shadow and Glory away from each other. I feel I may have finally found a cure for Maria! If this works, Glory may have to be sacrificed. It is because of this that I have forbidden Maria to see her anymore. I do not want her to bond with her. It would be too difficult for such a sweet, innocent child as Maria to be happy if she knew a friend died for her. Maria's connection to Shadow has helped her spirits enormously, however, so I will allow her to continue to spend time with him. I only hope she never tells Shadow about Glory."

Shadow sought his memory. Had Maria ever mentioned another? No, he could only remember her and Gerald mentioning Biolizard. And he and Sonic had killed Biolizard on Earth.

Suddenly, the wall came crashing down. Shadow spun to see a metallic version of himself. It was obviously incomplete. Clearly, Eggman was desperate, sending a robot with only one arm against him. Shadow leaped at the robot. "Chaos spear!"

The robot dodged just barely. "Analyzing!" The robot's eyes flashed red and yellow and green. Then it began to gesture. Energy formed in its one hand. "Chaos spear!"

Shadow threw himself to the side. The spear exploded. Shadow spun. The disc! He must protect the disc at all costs! He had not yet seen everything!

"That was your last mistake!" Shadow roared. "I will destroy this thing, then I will tear this building apart until I find you…and then I will tear _you_ apart!" He threw his arms out. "Chaos blast!" The robot went flying through the air.

Shadow decided that further fighting was unwise. There was too much danger that something might happen to the disc. He moved to the machine. He turned it off, then ejected the disc. Holding it carefully, he started running.

The robot rose. It started after him.

"The first Shadow Android is incomplete and no match for the real thing," Eggman said from his hiding place. "But after I've fed my computers this data, I'll be able to build an improved version!" He laughed. "Wherever you are, Metal Sonic…you are just about to become obsolete!"

************

Tails had left his lab after a couple of hours, and stepped into his back yard. He made a few checks on the greenhouse. Satisfied that it was fine, he crossed the yard to the back gate. He entered the front yard and walked over to a small bush. He had a sudden need to stay busy, and decided to do a little gardening. He was just heading back to get them tools when there was a breeze.

"Get out," Tails said in a quiet voice.

"Tails…" Sonic said. "I…"

"I have nothing to say to you, Sonic," Tails said hoarsely. "I don't want to yell at you, we've been through too much together. But I can't deal with you right now."

"But Tails…"

Tails' phone suddenly went off. "Who is it now?!?" he demanded. "Well? What is it?!"

"Well, excuse me!" Amy Rose said. "I just thought you might know where Sonic is?"

"Here," Tails said, tossing the phone to Sonic. "Talk to your girlfriend instead of to me."

"Now's not a good time, Ames," Sonic said, starting to hang up.

"Sonic! He's here!" Amy said over the phone.

"Who's here?" Sonic asked. "What are you talking about, Amy?"

"Shadow just ran past my house!" Amy said. "And…and there's another one with one arm! Eggman's robot, I guess!"

"Shadow?!?" Sonic repeated. "Just ran past your house?!? Hang on, Amy! I'm on my way!"

"Not without me you aren't!" Tails said.

"Tails…Shadow might be very dangerous," Sonic pointed out.

"I don't care!" Tails said. "I'm going with or without you!"

"You want to fight him, don't you?" Sonic demanded. "Tails…Shadow would kill you. I'm sorry, but I'll have to make sure you stay away from him." He started towards Tails, realizing he'd just make the fox hate him even more if he stopped him.

"There he is!" Tails yelled, pointing.

Sonic whirled. "Where?" Tails hit Sonic from behind.

"I'm sorry," Tails said, spinning his tails. "You'll be okay. But you can't stop me, Sonic. I have to do this, we both know that!" Tails took off towards Amy Rose's house.

************

Shadow cursed. The robot, even unfinished, was more powerful than he had expected. He dodged two chaos blasts, returning fire with three of his own. The robot came after him yet again. Shadow ran up a tree. At the top, he gently laid the disc down, hoping it would be undamaged. He spun dashed, striking the robot as it came up the tree after him, driving it into the ground. He screamed in fury as he struck it again and again. Sparks flew from the robot. Shadow realized it was about to explode and hurled it high into the air.

BOOM!!!

Shadow raced back up the tree. He cradled the disc. It was precious to him now. Then he saw Tails approaching. "Good," he thought. "He's nearly as brilliant as Eggman. He can play rest of this disc." Then he noticed the red eyes and bared fangs on the fox.

Shadow leaped as Tails rushed him. Tails barely avoided hitting the tree. Shadow dropped to the ground.

"I know you're angry with me, boy," Shadow said. "And I understand why. But there's no point in this. I don't want to fight you."

"Well too bad!" Tails yelled, swooping down on Shadow. "Because I want to fight you!!!"

Shadow decided to run. It galled him to flee from an enemy, especially one as weak as Tails, but the disc was too important.

"Oh no you don't!" Tails yelled. "Come back here!" He pushed himself to his limits. Then he pushed further. Shadow was shocked as the fox hit him from behind. Shadow fell, desperately protecting the disc with his body. He felt his nose scrape against the ground.

"Why do you force me to fight you?" Shadow demanded. "Don't you know that I can kill you without any effort? You can't win against me, kid! It's impossible! And I don't want you dead!"

"Well maybe I want _you_ dead!" Tails yelled, hitting Shadow again.

The disc went flying. "NO!" Shadow yelled. "Chaos control!"

Time stopped. Shadow caught the disc. He turned angrily at Tails. The fox was frozen. Shadow thought about blasting him. It would be easy now. But Tails had good reason to hate him.

"I'll let you go this time," Shadow said. He pushed Tails over, then stepped on his back and allowed chaos control to end.

"What?!?" Tails cried, realizing he was laying on the ground with Shadow standing on him. He struggled to get free. "Let me go! Let me go! I'll get you for this!"

"Stop it!" Shadow said. "Just stop it, boy! I don't want to hurt you, but what I have is too valuable for me to risk your damaging it."

"Cry me a river!" Tails yelled. That had been another expression Chuck Thorndyke had taught him. "You think I care about _your_ pain?"

"Of course not," Shadow said. "No more than I care about yours. We're much the same now, you and I."

"I could never be like you!" Tails yelled.

"No?" Shadow asked. "Look at yourself. You attacked me just now. Not because you saw me as a menace to anyone, but because you wanted me dead. The only one you ever cared about, the only one that ever cared about you, is gone forever. You want to lash out at someone, something. You think violence will take away your pain. But all it will do is leave you hollow inside. Look at me, boy. Look at your future. I am you. And your pain will never leave you. Push it down deep inside of you all you want. It will still be there. Slowly eating away at you like a cancer." He shook his head. "If I let you up, will you stop attacking me? Or will I need to break your legs?"

"Get away from him, Shadow!"

"Stay out of this, Sonic!" Shadow said. "You don't know what's happening here. You can't. Amy Rose is still alive!"

"What did you do to Amy?!?" Sonic demanded. He rushed at Shadow. Shadow jumped to avoid him.

"Did you think I was threatening her?!?" Shadow asked. "You're a fool, Sonic! You love her. Have you ever told her?"

"Don't talk about Amy!" Sonic yelled. His fight with Tails. The thought that maybe, just maybe, Tails had been right about Metal Cosmo. It was too much for Sonic. He was filled with anger and confusion. Emotions that he couldn't express properly. But he could release them on a dangerous opponent. He went into a spin dash.

Shadow avoided him again. "Stop this!" Shadow yelled. "I didn't want to fight him, and I don't want to fight you! I was hoping to get help from Tails, but I can see he will never aid me! Let me go, Sonic! I won't harm any of your friends."

Sonic remembered Tails saying very similar words not long ago. "Let her go, Sonic!" He stopped.

"If this is a trick , Shadow…" Sonic warned.

"No tricks," Shadow said. He held up the disc. "I got this from Eggman. My life is in here. I was hoping he could play it for me. Nothing more."

Tails threw himself at Shadow. "No!" Shadow cried, again protecting the disc with his body. Tails knocked Shadow onto his face, scraping the other side of his nose.

"Tails, stop it!" Sonic said.

"Stop it?" Tails demanded. "Stop it?!? You couldn't listen to me when I begged you not to kill that poor robot that looked like Cosmo, and now you ask me not to attack the monster that tried to kill Cosmo? That _did_ kill her!" He glared at Shadow. "You did, didn't you?!? You killed her!!!"

"There was no other choice," Shadow said. "You know that. You're far more intelligent than anyone else there, with the exception of Eggman. If there had been another way, you would have found it, boy."

"I could have launched _you_ in the Sonic Driver!" Tails said. "So what if the gravity field destroyed a worthless piece of trash like you!"

"Tails!" Sonic said. "Shut up!" He was afraid that Shadow would become enraged and attack his friend, and Sonic wasn't certain he could stop the other hedgehog. Shadow had Sonic's powers and more.

Shadow's eyes blazed with fury, but he used every ounce of will power he had to keep from attacking. The fox would go down quickly, but Sonic was a difficult opponent. Shadow knew he would win, for after all, was he not the Ultimate Life Form? But the disc…the disc would not survive such a battle.

"I see you will never help me," Shadow said at last. "I only ask that you not follow me. If you pursue me, either of you, I will not be merciful!" He turned and started to race away.

"Shadow, wait!" Tails cried. The hedgehog stopped, but didn't turn around. Didn't speak. "Tell me…how do you…deal with the pain?"

"You have three choices, kid," Shadow said in a hollow voice. "One, you allow your grief to consume you until you go mad. Two, you harden your heart until you stop feeling anything."  
"The way you did," Tails said. "And…the third?"

He looked over his shoulder at the fox. "You join her," Shadow said hoarsely.

"No!" Tails cried. "There must be another way!" He bit his lower lip. "What about…acceptance?"

Shadow snorted. "What would you accept, boy? That you killed the girl you loved because it was right for you to kill her? I didn't save Maria, and she died trying to save me, but I didn't pull the trigger. You did. I couldn't have done that."

"So…did you love Maria more than I loved Cosmo…or was I more heartless than you were at the time?" Tails asked.

"Kid," Shadow said, shaking his head, "if you think you're heartless, you've already lost your mind." He started to walk away.

"Have you…have you ever tried to use chaos control…go back to before Maria died, and…"

Shadow spun around. "You're a fool!" he said. "If that were possible, don't you think I would have done exactly that?!? Maria was my world! You, at least, have friends that will support you. A family. Doctor Gerald went mad when Maria died. He blamed me for her death. He hated me! He could have helped me. Brought me back, so I wouldn't have lain where I was left for fifty years. But he wanted nothing more to do with me." He turned away. "I've answered your questions, boy. You're on your own now. Life or death, sanity or madness, those are _your _choices to make. I made mine, and I'll stand by them. But they're not for everyone."

"That's enough, Shadow!" Sonic said. "Leave him alone!"

"Don't look for me again, kid," Shadow said. "I'll probably just kill you next time." Then he sped away.

"Tails!" Sonic cried, grabbing his best friend's shoulders. "Do you realize what could have happened? He could have killed you! Probably would have, if he hadn't been protecting whatever's on that disc!"

"Did you hear what he said?" Tails asked. "He told me I can never move on from what I did. That I can never accept what I did to Cosmo. And he's right."

"Tails…" Sonic started. He stopped. He had no idea what to say.

"You can't disagree with him, can you, Sonic?" Tails asked. "No, neither can I." He pulled away. "I'm going home," he said. "Don't call me, I'll call you. If I feel like it."

Sonic watched Tails fly away. He looked at his hands. He'd always had such a feeling of strength. Of power. But nothing he could do could heal his friend's heart. Could mend the gap between them.

"No." Sonic said, clenching his fists. "No! I'll find a way to get you back, little brother! I won't let the Unbreakable Bond be broken! I'll get you back!"

With a heavy heart, Sonic sped back to the hospital. Maybe seeing his sister would help him feel better. He needed some happiness in his life now. If only he could give some to Tails.

Then he thought of the chaos emeralds. The real ones were still drained of power…but if he could get seven fake ones…

"No," he said. "I promised Cosmo I wouldn't try to bring her back again. But…but…" Sonic had no answer for his dilemma. Perhaps, there was none.

************

Eggman finally came out of hiding. "Whew! Boy, what a relief he's gone!" He looked around at the wreckage of his headquarters. "I'm going to have to start all over again! Bocoe! Decoe! Bokkun! Come out of whatever hiding places you crawled into!"

The three robots slowly approached their master. "Is he gone?" Bocoe asked.

"Will he come back?" Decoe asked.

"He might," Eggman said. He hadn't told Shadow that there was a second disc, still buried underground. The contents of that one had blown his mind. He needed it in case Shadow ever came back again.

"You three clowns, clean up this mess!" Eggman said. "I'm going to take some aspirin and lie down." He thought of the plant. "Bokkun? Where's Cosmo's plant?"

"It's not my fault!" Bokkun cried, feeling guilty.

"Well…if it's destroyed then Tails will go crazy, and Sonic will suffer," Eggman said, grinning. Then he looked around him again. "But then _Sonic_ will show up here all crazy, and since he just found his sister, I have no information to appease him with."  
"Um…I…left a…regular plant in place of Cosmo's," Bokkun lied. "It looks a lot like it, so it'll be awhile before Tails notices the difference."

"Well, at least you've finally done _something_ right," Eggman said. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

"But, it's not night, Sir!" Bocoe said.

"Perhaps the master is turning into a night owl," Decoe suggested.

"You're idiots, all of you!" Eggman said, trying to find the medicine cabinet under all of the rubble.

************

At home, Tails approached his pet invention. He would place seven fake chaos emeralds into it in the morning. Perhaps, just perhaps, he would be able to travel back through time and save Cosmo.

"I don't know if it'll work," he said. "Shadow said he would have done it if it were possible. Maybe he did and something went wrong. Probably should have asked him." His face hardened. "No. Shadow is my enemy. I don't need him. And I guess I…don't need Sonic anymore, either."

Tails went to Cosmo's plant. "Please," he whispered. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do, Cosmo. But I need you. Please come back to me!"

_************_

_Mother! Cosmo's boy is planning to change the past! Shouldn't we at least tell Cosmo about __**this**__?_

_If he succeeds, it will not matter. If he fails, she would be better off not knowing. If she comes and sees it for herself, so be it._

_Yes, you're right, Mother. Do you think he's going mad?_

_Who can say? We shall learn that as well in time._

_Yes, Mother._

Cosmo, with her other sisters, forced thoughts of Tails away. But they continued to dwell in her mind. And she would need to deal with them soon enough.

To be continued. Six more chapters.

************

It's not a perfect fit, but if you want to work Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, into this timeline, this is the best place. For reasons you'll see soon, it won't work in any later chapters.


	25. Chapter 25: Cosmo's Work Relived

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Cosmo's Work Relived"

The next day was sunny. Tails hoped it was a good omen. He managed to convince his parents that he needed to do something in the back yard and would be out there for awhile. They had stopped talking when he entered the room, which was frightening, but he decided to let it pass for the time being.

Cream and Cheese came over. Tails was waiting in the front yard for them, afraid his parents wouldn't let them in if they knocked.

"See, dear, there's that little bunny girl I told you about," Rosemary said, peeking through the living room curtain.

"Doesn't look too bright, does she?" Amadeus said. "No wonder that crazy red head talks her into things. And speak of the devil!" Amy Rose was coming down the street. "Shall I chase her off?"

"I'll keep an eye on her," his wife assured him. "Don't worry. I can handle Rosey the Rascal!"

Fortunately, Amy didn't have a hammer at her at the moment. If she had appeared armed, the Prowers no doubt would have rushed out and the result would not have ended well. But Amy saw no need for her weapon in a simple little trip to Tails' house.

"Um…can I come in?" Amy asked. Tails had been pretty mad at her too about the Cosmo robot.

"I wouldn't recommend going inside of my house," Tails said. "My parents…don't make friends easily." He'd nearly mentioned that his mother would probably complain about Amy being a poor role model for Cream again. He didn't want to have to deal with that. Not today.

Tails brought Cosmo's plant into the greenhouse. The girls followed him.

"What's that boy so interested in that flower, we have plenty more," Tails' father demanded.

"He thinks it's his dead girlfriend coming back to life I'm afraid," Rosemary said. "I was going to throw it out, but Miles' therapist says that he's so closely identified with it, he might have a total breakdown. Besides, he always hides it when he goes out. Probably somewhere in those awful tunnels underground. I'm sure they're just simply filthy and crawling with disease!"

"He thinks it's what?!?" Amadeus demanded.

"Apparently the Parlouzer boy performed some sort of magic trick, and said a seed he gave Miles was his friend," Rosemary explained. "I asked Merlin, and he just said 'Who knows?'"

"Merlin always was an odd one," Amadeus said. "Probably where Miles gets it from. Don't know who the other one took after."

"Still can hear you, Dad!" Sanguine said from the couch, where he was watching television.

"Go out there and watch your brother!" Amadeus said. "Move it!"

Sanguine stepped outside. "Hey, guys," he said.

"Don't start anything!" Amy told him. "I don't need your nonsense today! Can't you see this is something sacred?"

"I think you'd rather have me out here than…" Sanguine looked over towards the window. The drapes moved quickly.

"They're watching me like they think I'm going to play with matches," Tails said. "Sometimes I think I should take the X-Tornado and fly to the other side of the world. Well, let's just pretend we don't know they're over there. I've made the greenhouse out of a special unbreakable material instead of glass. I don't want somebody breaking in and stealing Cosmo's plant. After what Eggman just tried, I'm afraid he might come after her. That's why I placed a burglar alarm on the pot. If anyone but me picks it up, you can hear it for a mile."

Amy and Sanguine stayed back while Tails and Cream went to the spot Tails had prepared for the plant. Cream examined it carefully. She took a small spade and worked on the hole a little bit. Finally she nodded.

"Let me have the flower pot, please."

"Please be careful," Tails said nervously.

"I do this all the time," Cream assured him. She carefully dug out the plant's root system. Tails felt a vice on his heart. So fragile! If anything went wrong with the transference, Cosmo might die again right before his eyes!

Cream planted the flower in the hole. She instructed Tails exactly on how to help her. "Please don't cry, Tails," she said. "Everything's going to be all right."

When they were finished, Cream gave him a hug. "See? Everything's fine. Cosmo wasn't hurt one bit. Now we just need to be patient."

"Thanks, Cream," Tails said, hugging her back. "I couldn't get through this without you."

"I'll always be here for you!" Cream promised.

"They're such a cute couple!" Amy said, lacing her fingers together. She sighed. "Ah, love! Isn't it grand?"

"Don't do it," Sanguine said.

"Don't do what?" Amy demanded. "And who asked for your opinion, anyway?"

"Don't set my brother up with Cream," Sanguine said. "He's not interested in another girlfriend."  
Amy glared at him. "Listen, you," she said, lowering her voice, "Cosmo has already said she's not coming back. You brother's going to be devastated when that plant _doesn't_ turn into her! He needs somebody to take care of him. To mend his broken heart. And he likes Cream. It's the perfect solution!"

Sanguine shook his head. "You're playing god," he said. "Cream's probably his best friend now. He told me what Sonic did to that robot Cosmo. He even told Mom and Dad he doesn't want to see your boyfriend. That's serious, Amy. He's been closer to Sonic than he has to his own family. Instead of setting Miles up with Cream, you should be helping me figure out a way to get him to make up with Sonic."

"Tails and Sonic have an unbreakable bond," Amy insisted. "He's angry right now, but he'll get over it. Trust me. I know your brother better than you do. Which is sad if you think about it."

"Now she's flirting with Simon!" Rosemary Prower hissed to her husband, who was watching television. "Then she wonders why that Parlouzer boy runs from her!"

"Didn't she used to pick her nose?" Amadeus asked.

"No dear, that was Sonic," Rosemary said, "Rosey used to talk with a lisp."

"Oh, right," Amadeus said, nodding. "The little girl that was always spitting."

"Sorry I can't invite you and Amy in, Cream," Tails said. "But my parents…"

"Your parents are out of their minds!" Amy yelled.

"Amy! They'll hear you!" Tails cried.

"So let them hear me!" Amy said. "I'd like to see them say something to me!"

Tails ran his hand through his hair. If Amy made a scene, his parents might forbid him from seeing her and Cream again. Tails wasn't too sure about Amy's company, but he had come to rely on Cream for support. He also didn't want to cause her any trouble. Vanilla was a very kind and understanding woman, but if his mom really started yelling at her…well, he'd seen the way Vanilla had looked at Vector.

************

At that time, Sonic wasn't thinking about Tails. He was too relieved to see his little sister was sitting up in bed, looking very bored and eager to get out of the hospital.

"So there you are, Mister Superhero!" she said. "I thought maybe you'd gotten lost."

"Sorry," Sonic said, "I was…busy." And suddenly Tails came flooding back into his mind.

"You look like somebody just punched you in the stomach," Anita said. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Sonic said, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. He didn't want to burden her with his problems.

"So, how you doing?" Sonic asked.

"I'm starving," Anita said. "And all they'll give me is hospital food!"

"Well, if you're a good girl, maybe I'll bring you one of Uncle Chuck's chili dogs," Sonic said.

"No onions," Anita said.

"But a chili dog isn't the same without cheese and onions," Sonic argued.

"You're so weird," Anita said. "Come here."

Sonic thought she wanted to whisper something in his ear. Instead, she hit him with her pillow. "Now get me something to eat, moron!"

"Wow," Sonic said, "you really _are_ feeling better!"

"Why are you still here?!?" Anita demanded.

Sonic took off. He considered going to see Tails, but was sure that he'd be okay for awhile. He wanted to get to know his sister again.

Sonic had no idea that he and Tails would both regret his not looking in on his friend.

************

"Here," Tails said, showing Cream and Amy and his brother the lock on the greenhouse door. "I've set this up so that if anyone gets locked in, they can open the door from inside, but to open it from out here, I'll need to make retina scans."

"Um…what?" Amy asked.

"You'll need to look into this camera here," Tails explained. "It will scan your eye and record it. Eyes are like fingerprints. Everyone's is different. Then, if you need to go in sometime when I'm not around, you can open the door by placing your eye against the monitor."

"Oh," Amy said. "So…who are you trusting to get into your greenhouse?"

"Just you three," Tails said.

"What about Mister Sonic?" Cream asked softly.

Tails sighed. "He didn't even show up today!" Tails said.

"He said he wanted to give you some time to get over being angry with him about…you know…the Cosmo robot," Amy told him. "Besides, his sister's still in the hospital. I guess he's over there with her."

"I'm happy Sonic found her," Tails said. "I know losing her's been on his conscious for years. But I'm not at all sure how I feel about Sonic right now. I don't want to yell at him. Say anything I might regret later. Amy, Cream, you were there when I blew up at him on the Blue Typhoon. I never want that to happen again."

"You really scared me that day!" Cream said. "And there hasn't been a day since then that I haven't been scared for him!" she realized.

"I'm sorry," Tails told her. "I…I'm hoping things will start getting better soon. I know I've been difficult since we got home from space. Please, just give me a little more time."

"Of course we will!" Cream said, suddenly hugging him. "You just take all the time you need!"

"Time…" Tails said, his eyes suddenly far away. "Yes…time heals all wounds."

"Tails?" Amy said. "You…you okay there?"

"What?" Tails said. "Oh, sorry." He grinned nervously. "Guess I'm just turning into one of those absent-minded professors."

************

"But, Miss Vanilla!" Vector cried. He had just knocked on her door, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a box of candy in the other. She had looked surprised, then closed the door in his face.

"Please go away, Vector," Vanilla said through the closed door. "I'm not ready to talk to you yet."

"But…" Vector struggled for something to say. Normally, he could go on and on and on for hours, without even thinking about it. But right now, his mind was suddenly blank. Vector sighed and walked away.

Vanilla shook her head. She couldn't understand her feelings for him. She'd naively believed all of the stories he'd told her. Vanilla had been a simple country girl. Unless she knew she couldn't trust someone, she just assumed that everyone was honest with her.

"Why do I care if he doesn't come back?" she asked herself, sitting down at her kitchen table. "We're only friends, after all." She remembered her husband, Cream's father. She had only been friends with him, once. Sort of like Vector, without that crazy streak. A big goofy guy with a smile that had lit up her world. Would she be unfaithful to his memory if she…

"No!" Vanilla said out loud. "No, no one will ever replace him!"

"Who, Mom?" Cream asked, coming into the kitchen. "Who are you talking about?"

"Dear," Vanilla said, "what do you think about Mister Vector?"

"Well…he was awfully mean to Amy," Cream said. "But maybe he just can't help himself. I mean…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know. I always thought he was funny. But what he did to Amy was just plain awful!"

"Yes," Vanilla said, nodding her head. "Yes, it was. Would you and Cheese like something to eat, dear?"

"Ice cream?" Cream asked hopefully.

"You can't just eat ice cream and cake, dear," Vanilla said, getting up. "I'll make you something nutritious…and then we'll see."

"Yay!" Cream said, hugging her mother. "You're the best, Mommy!"

************

After Amy and Cream had left, Tails asked his brother for some time alone.

"Sure," Sanguine said. "Hey, listen, why don't we do something? Play a board game or something? You need to spend less time locked up in your workshop."

"We'll see," Tails said. If this worked, maybe he'd be more in the mood to do something lighthearted. Well, he could only hope.

After his brother had gone inside, Tails opened the door to his greenhouse and stepped inside. Cream had happily provided him with many flowers, plants, and seeds. He realized she'd be over probably every day to take care of them and see how they were growing. Tails also realized he liked having the little bunny over. She helped him get through the bad times. Now that she was gone, he felt depressed.

Tails passed the sunflowers and asters. He noticed the irises. They looked almost like tiny plant people. He wondered if Cosmo's flower would start looking something like that. In the back, just before a small patch of flowering bushes, stood the most precious one of all. Cream had just watered it, so there was nothing Tails could do for it now. Nothing except make a promise.

"I swear," Tails whispered, getting down on his knees and gently touching the flower with an ungloved finger. "I swear, I will do everything within my power to bring you back to me. I…I just hope you won't resent me."

Tails continued talking to the little plant until he could build up the reserve to do what he'd been planning to do for months. He blew the little plant a kiss, then turned and headed for the door. He locked it behind him, then went inside.

"Miles? Dear?" his mother said gently, giving him a hug. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Tails said. "Or at least…I will be." He looked towards the room where his time machine was carefully hidden. "I hope."

************

Vector returned to his detective agency. Espio was throwing shuriken at a picture of Eggman. Charmy was asleep.

"Hey, Vector," Espio said, noticing the crocodile still had the flowers and candy he'd bought. "She wouldn't take them, huh? I tried to tell you we went too far this time."

"Yeah, well, why don't you ever try harder?!" Vector demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be my conscience or something?"

"I don't remember ever agreeing to that," Espio said rolling his eyes. "Besides, I gave up on you listening to me a long time ago."

"That's your problem, Espio!" Vector yelled. "You just don't try!" He dropped the candy and flowers on the kitchen table and stormed off.

"What was that all about?" Charmy demanded, waking up.

"Miss Vanilla won't take Vector back," Espio told him.

"Oh," Charmy said.

"Why do we do it, Charmy?" Espio asked, going back to his target practice. "Why do we let Vector talk us into crazy things?"

"Well," Charmy said, thinking about it, "I guess we…just need somebody to tell us what to do. And Vector's good at giving orders."

"I guess you're right," Espio said. "Unfortunately, Vector needs somebody to tell _him_ what to do."

"Yeah," Charmy agreed. "If he thinks long enough, that crazy little voice starts talking to him again."

"My sensei would be so disappointed in me," Espio said. "I've failed at everything I've tried. I know what to do in a fight, but in peace time, I…I just wait around for somebody to give me instructions."

"Yeah," Charmy agreed, joining Espio's game. "You and me are kind of pathetic, aren't we? And Vector's…well, Vector. Guess that's why the three of us are such close friends."

"Yeah," Espio agreed sadly. "I guess so."

************

Amy saw Sonic talking to his Uncle Chuck, and decided to surprise him. She moved stealthily from tree to tree. "Perfect!" she thought. "Sonic doesn't suspect a thing! Super Rose Glomp coming up…now!" Amy leaped at Sonic. Sonic moved without even seeming to notice her. Amy suddenly found herself hugging Uncle Chuck.

"Um…hello to you too, Amy," Uncle Chuck said. "I'm afraid you'll have to be little faster than that to catch my nephew!"

Amy pulled away from him. "S-sorry, Uncle Chuck!" she said. She turned to see Sonic just disappearing in the distance. She let out a big sigh.

"Can I get you anything?" Uncle Chuck asked. "Chili dog? Corn dog? Soda?"

"How about a boot to the head?" Amy moaned.

The old hedgehog patted Amy on the head. "Don't worry," he assured her. "Sonic likes you a lot. I'm not quite sure even he understands how much."

"Then why does he hurt me so much?" she asked. She bit back the tears. "I try and I try and I try. He asks for space, I stay away as long as I can bear it! What more can I do?"

"Just stay positive," the old hedgehog told her, handing her a corn dog. "Things are never as bad as they seem, child."

Amy sat down on a small stool and shut her eyes. "You're right," Amy said. "I'll never stop hoping. It's only when we give up hoping that things really go wrong. Thanks, Uncle Chuck!"

"Any time, Rosey," he said. Uncle Chuck was probably the only person that could get away with calling her that.

Amy ate her corn dog, slowly, thoughtfully. She looked at Sonic's uncle. He was a nice old guy. Alone for many years. Amy smiled. She'd just have to find him a special person of his very own!

"I'll see you, Uncle Chuck," Amy said, giving him a hug. She raced off. She was sure she could find a single or widowed older lady who needed company!

************

"Okay," Tails said, checking over his time machine for the final time. "If this works…well, we'll see." He knew that he still didn't have a solution. He'd have to stop Cosmo before she left Cream and transformed. But at least, if this worked, he'd know that it was possible to change the past. He crossed his fingers, and pressed the main button. Swirling patterns of colored lights appeared all around him. He heard a strange humming sound, not from the machine, but from everywhere. There was a blinding light. Tails shielded his eyes with his hand.

When the light faded, Tails looked around. He was on the Blue Typhoon! But when? He raced through the ship, looking for Cosmo.

From the bridge, Tails heard Sonic cry out, "And now, you all listen to me! Call all the strength you have and all the energy you can find! The Sonic Driver will bring me victory!"

As Tails continued to search for Cosmo, he heard himself argue with Sonic. "Your body is overloaded with energy since you transformed into Super Sonic! It wouldn't survive being struck by the Sonic Driver!"

Tails knew what he was doing would probably kill Sonic, but he had to at least try to save Cosmo! "I'm sorry, big brother!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry! If…if this works, I'll…I'll come back again and find some way to save you too! I swear I will!"

He found her with Cream, and realized he'd just made it. "Cosmo!" he cried. "Cosmo, please don't do it!"

But Cosmo and Cream ignored him. Cosmo was staring up at the Dark Planet. Cream and Cheese were praying.

"Mother?" he heard Cosmo say.

"Cosmo!" Tails cried. "Cosmo, stop!"

Cosmo seemed to be in a trance. It was as if someone were speaking to her. Then she said, "Yes, I'm the only one that can do it, Mother."

"No!" Tails screamed, reaching for her. "Don't!" His hand reached for her…and went right through her!

"What?!? What's going on?" Tails yelled. He looked at Cosmo. She was paying no attention to him. Neither was Cream.

"I didn't come back right!" he realized. "I'm here, but not here! I'm just a ghost! I can't do anything! I can't change anything! All I can do is…Oh no! No! No, please! I don't want to see it happen again!"

Tails pressed the button on his time machine. Nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?!?" Tails screamed. "Stupid machine!" He shook it. "Work! Work already!"

He looked up to see Cosmo turn to Cream. "You must all let me do it," she said. "Call back Sonic and Shadow, please. I'll you help you to create a world of future and liberty."

"Cosmo?" Cream said, starting to cry.

Cosmo smiled and let out a sigh. Then she rose into the air, past the protective fields on the ship.

"No!" Tails shrieked. "Don't go! Come back!"

"Cosmo?" Cream called. "Cosmo! Cosmo!"

Tails watched until he couldn't see Cosmo anymore. Then he noticed Cream was gone. He raced back to the bridge. There, he saw himself, sitting at the controls.

"Tails! Cosmo just went out there!"

"What?!?" Past Tails cried.

"No!" Tails wailed. "Get me out of here! I don't want to see it again! I don't want to shoot her again!" But the machine still wouldn't work. He tried to fix it. Everything looked all right. What had gone wrong? What mistake had he made? Why couldn't he talk to anyone?

"Shadow warned me!" he remembered. "I thought he was just being a jerk! He probably _did _try to go back and save Maria! Did _he_ stand there, watching, while she was killed again?"

"I'm in place…you can do the shot now," he heard Cosmo say. "I'm directly linked to this monster's body as you can see! So I beg you…shoot on me and you can destroy him!"

Tails vaguely heard Amy and Knuckles and Chris talking about how horrible it was that Cosmo had merged with Dark Oak. Knuckles yelled at Past Tails to do something else. But his former self looked so confused. So helpless.

"Just like I still am now!" Tails thought. "I still can't do anything! I'm sorry, Cosmo! I let you down again!"

"Think of something else, Tails!" Knuckles yelled. He had tried to save her. Had tried so hard to stop Tails from what he had done. And Tails had refused to speak to Knuckles since then.

"You did more to save her than I did, Knuckles!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry!"

"Listen, all of you," he heard himself say, "leave us alone…please?"

"Come on!" Tails screamed at himself. "What's wrong with you?!?" But no one could hear him.

Then he heard Eggman. "Tails…it's time!"

He saw himself start to push the button. "FIRE!" He cringed, then watched himself hit his heard against the button, closing the compartment.

"Yes!" Present Tails yelled. "Yes! You have to stop this! Please!" But he knew he wouldn't. Because he hadn't.

"Do you know how she's feeling at a time like this?" he heard Eggman ask. "You traveled with her all this time. You know."

"Shut up!" he screamed. "You're trying to make me think you cared…then you built that robot to drive me crazy! I won't forgive you for that, Eggman!"

"Tails-san, I really want…to receive your shot."

"No!" Tails cried to his former self. "Don't do it!" But Past Tails couldn't hear him.

"Wasn't there…a promise? That when this was over, you'd come and live with us on our planet?"

"Stop talking nonsense, and think of some way out of this!" Present Day Tails screamed. But even after all these months, he still couldn't think of another way.

"Until the end, for all the problems I caused you…please excuse me!" He heard Cosmo say.

"No!" Tails wailed. He knew it was almost time. He tried again to get his machine to work. Why wouldn't it get him out of there?

"You never caused me problems, Cosmo!" he heard himself say. "It's too hard! Because, Cosmo…I love you!" And while Present Day Tails tired uselessly to stop himself, Past Tails pushed the button. Both Tails screamed in agony.

Present Day Tails collapsed. "No!" he yelled. "NO! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

"Cosmo?" he heard his former self cry. "Cosmo! I can't see her! Cosmo!"

"You're wasting your time!" Tails told himself. "She can't hear you! Anymore than you can hear me!" He started pushing the button on his time machine. "I want to go back!" he wailed. "Get me out of here!"

"Don't be sad, Tails," he heard. He spun and watched Cosmo's spirit approach his former self. "Whenever you need me, I'll always be right here by your side!" She tried to kiss Past Tails, then faded away before their eyes.

Tails knew what was next. That Sonic would arrive and hand him the seed. He didn't want to go through that again too! "Send me back!" he wailed, pressing the return button again and again. "Please! I don't want to live through this again!" He realized he wasn't as strong now as he had been five months ago. Reliving those final days on the Blue Typhoon now would kill him!

"I thought…you could save her! Just a little while ago… this was Cosmo!" he heard he heard himself scream at Sonic. "I believed in you! I BELIEVED IN YOU!"

"I killed her again!" Present Day Tails wailed. "I killed Cosmo again!" He shut his eyes, pressing the return button again and again. "I killed her again! I killed her again!"

Outside his workshop, Tails' mother, checking on him, heard him screaming and called her husband. Amadeus kicked the door in. They found Tails huddled on the floor, smashing his time machine.

"Worthless piece of junk!" he wailed. "What good are you to me? What good is anything to me! I killed her again! Not Sonic! _Me_ this time!"

"Miles!" Rosemary cried, putting her arms around him. "It's all right, honey! Mommy's here!"

"I killed Cosmo!" Tails wailed. "I killed her!"

"Yes, yes, baby, but that was months ago!" his mother tried to reassure him.

But Tails didn't want to be consoled. "No! I killed her again! Just now! She was here…she was alive…Alive! Right here beside me! And then…and then I pushed the button! And Sonic and Shadow killed her again! Because of me! It's all my fault! Shadow warned me! He knew! He must have known!"

"Miles, son, you're not making sense!" Amadeus said.

"I'm making perfect sense!" Tails wailed. "I'm a monster! I don't deserve to live! Not when I killed Cosmo again! I could try again and again, but I'd just do it again! And again! And again!"

"That does it," Amadeus said. He left the room.

"Dear, what are you doing?" Rosemary called, still trying to comfort Tails.

"What I should have done a long time ago!" her husband yelled back. "Miles is sick! He needs help! And I'm getting him some now!"

Amadeus called Tails' therapist. "Doctor? Yes, it's Miles. He's having some sort of breakdown. Keeps screaming that little girl he killed months ago was just here and he shot and killed her all over again. Yes, I think that would be for the best. Yes, we'll keep him here until you arrive."

"Amadeus, what did you do?" Rosemary asked worriedly as her husband returned.

"I'm going to pack some clothes for him," Amadeus said, patting his son's head. "He'll…be away for awhile, dear."

Rosemary gasped. "Oh! Oh, Amadeus, you didn't!"

"Look at him!" her husband said. Tails was still sobbing in his mother's arms. "He needs help, Rosemary. He needs it bad. And I'm afraid it's obvious by now that we just can't give it to him. Stay here with him until…until they come for him." He walked slowly away.

Sonic arrived just after the ambulance did. "Wha? What's going on here?" Had Eggman attacked? No, the house was in one piece. Had Tails…had he tried to hurt himself? Then a dog and a squirrel came out of Tails' house. They were dressed in white and pushing a gurney. Sonic gasped when he realized Tails was strapped to it. He seemed unconscious.

"Hey!" he yelled. "What do you think you're doing?!?" He was about to knock their heads together, when he heard a shout.

"Mind your own business, hedgehog!"

Sonic stared at Tails' father. "You're behind this! What are you doing to him?" He clenched his fists.

"Miles just had a nervous breakdown," Amadeus said. "Because of whatever you and your Shadow friend did to that little girlfriend of his. He needs professional care, and I'm going to see that he gets it! Now get off my property! This is none of your business!"

Sonic ignored him and went to Tails. His best friend was really out of it. "What did you do to him?!?" he demanded. Tails' eyes were open, but out of focus.

"He tried to get away," the dog said, as he and the squirrel lifted the gurney into the back of the ambulance. "We had to give him something to calm him down."

"You…you…" Sonic felt a rage burning inside of him. He had done things to hurt Tails, but this…"You're not taking him!" he said, gritting his teeth.

"Can you help him?" Rosemary demanded. "Can you make him happy again? Can you fix this?"

"I…I…" Sonic had no answers. Maybe, just maybe, there weren't any.

Suddenly, Tails moaned. "Sonic…"

"I'm here, buddy," Sonic said. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this!"

"Please…" Tails said, "please…Cosmo's…plant…Cream…take care of…it…"

"Of course Cream will take good care of it!" Sonic said. "But she won't need to! I'm gonna get you out of this, buddy!"

"Please…don't let…Cream see…me like…this…" Tails begged. Then he passed out again.

"Get out!" Amadeus yelled. "Now! This doesn't concern you!"

"I'll go," Sonic said. "But if anything happens to Tails, you'll regret it!" He turned back towards the ambulance. "Hang on, buddy! I'll get you out of this!"

"We've already signed the papers," Amadeus said. "If you try to stop this, you'll be breaking the law, and I will press charges against you!"

"You've just made a very powerful enemy," Sonic said in a cold voice. "Do what you will, I'll have Tails out before you know what happened!" Sonic sped off towards the palace. He had to get Princess Sally to overturn the commitment papers. If he couldn't…well, no building could keep Sonic the Hedgehog out!

"Sorry, Sonic," Nicole said when he reached the palace. "Sally is in a private meeting with her brother. Besides, Tails' parents are his legal guardians. You can appeal, but that could take weeks, maybe months."

"So what happens to Tails until then?" Sonic demanded.

Nicole shook her head. "I'm afraid he stays where he is unless his parents, or his doctor, change their minds about his condition. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do but tell Sally the moment I see her."

Sonic snarled. "Do you know who protects Mobius from Doctor Eggman?" he demanded. "_I_ do. If anything happens to my best friend because of idiotic red tape…"

"Are you threatening Princess Sally and King Elias?" Nicole asked, her image flickering.

"Do you think anyone could stop me if I did?" Sonic hissed. He sped away. He wasn't sure what to do now, and needed to think.

Nicole watched him go. "Please, Sonic," she said softly. "Please don't force us to fight you!" She faded, hoping to talk to Sally. But the princess was being yelled at by her brother and the high council, and Nicole broke the connection without saying anything.

************

Tails awoke several hours later to find himself in a room covered with thick white padding. He tried to move his arms, and found that they were strapped down. He shut his eyes. "The moment I saw Cosmo in the line of fire…the instant I realized…what I'd have to do…I guess I knew then that I'd end up here sooner or later." He felt the tears come again, and made no effort to stop them. "It's no more than I deserve." He opened his eyes. Cosmo stood there. Watching him. With tears in her own eyes.

"Please don't cry for me, Cosmo," Tails sobbed, shutting his eyes again to block out her image. "I'm already dead!"

He cried himself to sleep.

_Mother? Why didn't his machine work?_

_Because what must be must be, Galaxina._

_He's lost his mind now! We have to tell Cosmo about this!_

_No. She shouldn't see him like this._

_Perhaps you're right, Mother. Nova? What do you want?_

_That gives me an idea. Maybe I can change Cosmo's mind, Mother. Galaxina._

_Nova? What are you planning, little sister? Nova! Come back here! What are you going to do?_

_Perhaps she can convince her, Galaxina. She doesn't seem to want to listen to you or me._

_Yes, Mother._

To be continued (This takes place before chapter seven of Cosmo's Story)

Five more chapters


	26. Chapter 26:On The Way Back

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Six

"On The Road Back"

Sonic the hedgehog ran. It was simply what he did. He ran when he was happy. He ran when he was angry. He ran when he was depressed. And he ran when he was confused. He was currently experiencing all but the first of those feelings. He hated the thought of leaving Tails in Happy Acres, but didn't know how to get him out without starting something he didn't want to finish. He didn't want to go against Sally. And if he got Tails out, then what? Hide him someplace and swear he didn't know where he was?

Sonic saw Amy in the park. He stopped nearby. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to discuss this with her. Maybe his growing frustration with Sally was causing him to finally notice the pink hedgehog. He dismissed that thought, however. Amy was a friend, and he valued the opinions of his friends.

"Hi, Sonic!" Amy cried. "How wonderful of you to see me! Would you like to go someplace? A movie, maybe. Hmmm?" She leaned against him and puckered her lips.

Sonic gently pushed her away. "Stop it, Amy! Not now!"

"Not now, not then, so when?!?" Amy demanded. "You're still giving me mixed messages!" Then she finally noticed his face. "Sonic? What's wrong?"

Sonic sat down on a park bench. He shut his eyes. "I don't know what to do," he said.

Amy sat down beside him, not quite close enough that he would move away from her. "What's the matter? Come on, don't shut me out the way Tails has been lately."

"That's just it," Sonic said. "Tails…he's…"

Amy jumped up. "He hurt himself?" she cried.

"No, Amy," Sonic said. "That's not it."

"He ran away then," Amy said, grabbing his hand. "Come on! We'll go find him!"

Sonic pulled away from her. "I know exactly where he is," he told her softly.

"Sonic, you're scaring me!" Amy cried. "Where is he?!?"

"He…he started screaming that he'd just killed Cosmo…again," Sonic told her.

Amy gasped. "He…he what? Oh no. Oh, Sonic, I was afraid this would happen sooner or later. I could see he wasn't getting better."

"So did his parents," Sonic said. "When I went to see if we could patch things up between us, over that whole Metal Cosmo mess, I saw…" He bit his lip. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Sonic, please, I'm going crazy here!" Amy cried. "What happened to Tails?!?"

Sonic buried his head in his hands. "His father had him…sent to… Happy Acres."

"What?" Amy asked him. "I didn't hear that. His dad sent him to where?"

"Happy Acres," Sonic said louder.

Amy had summoned a pico-pico hammer, expecting to need it to help Tails. Now it slipped from her fingers. She sat down next to Sonic and took his hands in hers. "The…mental hospital?"

"Yeah," Sonic said. "I tried to get him out, but Tails' parents will fight to keep him in there. So I tried to see Sally, and Nicole told me to get lost…like usual."

"She just doesn't care," Amy said. "Sonic…Sonic, look at me."

Sonic turned towards her. "Amy…what do I do?"

"What do you want to do?" Amy asked him. "If--if you want to break Tails out of there, I'm with you all the way!" She started to get up to get her pico-pico hammer.

Sonic shook his head. "Amy…breaking Tails out of there would be breaking the law. Even if I decide to do that, I can't involve you in something so serious."

"Too late," Amy pointed out. "I already know that you're considering it. If I don't report you, and I won't, I'm already an accessory to the crime."

"I didn't say I was going to break him out," Sonic reminded her. "I'm just saying if I do I don't want you involved. Please, Amy. I don't want you going to jail."

"Whether thou goest, I will go," Amy insisted. "Just let me know when you've decided what you're going to do. I'll support you completely."

"I…I guess I'll need to think about it," Sonic admitted. "I'll wait until I can talk to Sally. If she says she won't help Tails, then…" He stood up. "I mean it, Amy! Stay out of this! Please. I…I don't want you getting in trouble. Promise me you won't do anything you'll regret later."

"I promise," Amy said, crossing her fingers behind her back.

It was obvious that Sonic was badly shook up. He didn't notice her trick. "Listen…it's probably best if Cream doesn't know what happened. She'd want to see Tails, and he asked me not to let her."

"So he _does_ care about her!" Amy said. "You see, Sonic? In time, his heart will heal, and he'll find love again. And Cream is a great kid. They'll make such a perfect couple."

Sonic sighed. Even now, Amy just wouldn't let up about Tails and Cream. "I-I'll see you, Amy," Sonic said. He sped off, soon disappearing in the distance.

Amy Rose sighed as she picked up her hammer. She didn't hold out much hope that Princess Sally would get Tails released from the hospital. Maybe she could find a way to free Tails without violence. She'd seen enough movies and tv shows about that sort of thing while she had been on Earth. What would Lucy and Ethel do? She decided to go home and plan Operation: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

************

Tails was relieved when someone let him out of the padded cell and took off his straightjacket. He was led by the arm into a room painted green. He knew that green was considered calming, but it reminded him of Cosmo. Seated behind a desk was his therapist, Doctor Gantan.

"Hello, Miles," she said softly. "Won't you sit down, please?"

Tails hesitated, but the orderly holding his arm pushed him down in the chair the doctor had indicated.

"Not so rough, Harry," Dr. Gantan said. "You may go now."

"You sure?" the big guy asked.

"He's ten years old," Dr. Gantan pointed out. "I think I can defend myself."

"I'm not going to hurt anyone!" Tails yelled, starting to stand up. Harry pushed him back down.

"He's nuts, lady," Harry said. He was a bulldog. Small eyes, heavy jaw, and clearly not very bright. Also not very tolerant towards inmates. Tails wondered what bored politician allowed him to get a job there.

"That's doctor," Dr. Gantan pointed out. "And Miles isn't dangerous. Don't make me warn you again about mistreating the inmates, Harry."

"Yes, ma'am…Lady Doctor," Harry said, turning and leaving the room. Tails had a bad feeling he'd have a lot more trouble with this guy.

"Now, Miles," Dr. Gantan said softly. "Do you know why you're here?"

"It was a misunderstanding," Tails said. "My father called you because he thought I was having hallucinations, but I'm not." This wasn't exactly true, of course. Tails had been seeing Cosmo for awhile, but he knew if he mentioned this he'd never get out of there.

"You claimed that you had just killed you friend, Cosmo, again," Dr. Gantan said. "In fact, you claimed she was in your home earlier today."

"No," Tails said. "I--I was back on my ship, the Blue Typhoon. You see…you're going to think I'm crazy just trying to explain this to you, but…"

"No, no, go on, Miles," she said, writing something in a notebook.

Tails sighed. No doubt she was writing what she thought was wrong with him. "I built a…a time machine." He cringed, knowing how insane that sounded.

"A time machine," she said, writing some more.

"You know that I've built space ships," Tails pointed out. "Why do you have so much trouble believing that I built a time machine?"

"Why are you so certain that I don't believe you?" she asked him.

"You don't look like you believe anything I say," Tails pointed out. "You're writing in your notebook. That's what doctors do when they think their patient is crazy."

"You watch a lot of television, don't you?" Dr. Gantan asked. "You say you have a time machine and you used it to go back to before your friend was dead?"

"Yes, but…something went wrong," Tails told her. "I couldn't get anyone to see or hear me! When I saw myself shooting Cosmo…it was like it was just happening all over again! I've been trying to get through it, but…"

"Experiencing it again opened old wounds?" Dr. Gantan asked him. "But sometimes that's the only way you can move on, Miles. Face the past and your actions, and realize they weren't your fault."

"I see," Tails said, suddenly feeling very tired. "How long will I have to be here?"

"Miles, we've been having sessions for months, and I haven't seen much improvement," Dr. Gantan said softly. "Do you understand?"

Tails ran his hand through his hair. "Well…every time I try to just live my life, something crazy happens. My parents…they just don't understand me. My dad thinks physical activity will straighten me out, and my mom makes me dress like I'm six and fights with my friends!"

"Your parents disappeared when you were four years old, didn't they?" Dr. Gantan said, turning to another page in her notebook. "You lost a lot of time with them. How old were you the next time you saw them?"

Tails sighed. "That was last year," he said. "After I came back from Earth. I was nine."

"So your parents lost five years of knowing you," she said gently. "And you lost five years with them as well. To them, you're still four years old."  
"I understand that, Doctor," Tails said. "But I can't go back to being four again! Besides, when I _was_ four, I didn't fit in with others. I was a nerd my whole life."

"There's nothing wrong with being smart, Miles," the doctor said, scribbling in her notebook again. She set it down after a minute and looked him square in the eyes. "Miles…I assure you that I am your friend. I want you out of here as much as you want out. But I can't release you until I'm sure you're ready. Do you understand this?"

Tails sighed. "So I'm stuck here," he said.

"I wouldn't put it that way," Dr. Gantan said. "We'll speak again soon. Let me have someone show you to your room." She saw the look on his face. "No, not Harry. And not that dreadful padded cell again. I'm sorry, Miles. The head administrator is somewhat old fashioned."

Tails was led out of the office by a blue jay. She led him to a small room with yellow walls. "Yellow is the happiest color, you know," she said with a smile. She seemed nice, but Tails suspected she wasn't very bright. "Some of our other guests are playing scrabble and watching tv," she said. "Would you like to join them? Right down that hall. My names Treble, by the way."

"Miles," Tails said, "but everybody calls me Tails because…well…" he waved his twin tails about.

"Oh, is that why you're here?" Treble asked. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, dear. Why, there are several very nice people here because of physical deformities. So many people are so cruel!" Tails didn't bother to correct her.

Tails sat down on the bed. He noticed he had a small, perfectly round desk, padded so he couldn't harm himself by beating his head against it. "They've got me locked up with psychos!" he thought, pulling his blanket over his head. He hoped no one came in yelling that he was trying to smother himself.

************

Ginger had gone into hiding once word had gone out that she was a criminal. But she knew that Tails' fool of a mother still trusted her, and decided to see what she could get out of her.

"Ginger!" Mrs. Prower said, opening the door at her knock. "Oh, dear, I'm sorry, but Miles…is away right now."

"Oh?" Ginger said, not caring less. "When will he be back?"

"I don't have any idea, I'm afraid," Mrs. Prower said. "Would you like to come in and have some tea?"

"Sure," Ginger said. Maybe this would give her an opportunity to find out something about Sonic or Tails that she could use against them later.

Rosemary was just pouring tea when there was another knock on the door. "Now who could that be? Just a moment, dear."

Rosemary opened the door to find Cream standing on her doorstep holding a basket. Cheese sat protectively on her shoulder.

"Good morning, Mrs. Prower," Cream said. "Is Tails in? I brought him some goodies. Is he feeling better? We've been praying for him every night, haven't we, Cheese?"

"Chao chao!"

"Uh…that's nice," Rosemary said. "You're that girl we saw in the store with Rosey the Rascal, aren't you?"

"Would you like a piece of cake or a cookie?" Cream asked. "I have pink frosting and blue frosting, but no green, because I don't want Tails to get sad thinking about poor Cosmo."

"Uh…I'll pass," Rosemary said. "Miles isn't home. And I don't know when he'll be back."

Cream gasped. "Oh no! Did he…did he run away? I'll help you look for him!"

"No, no, he's just…away," Rosemary said. "He probably won't be back for quite some time."

"Oh dear," Cream said. "Then it's a good thing I'm here! I'll need to take care of Cosmo's plant for him." She bowed. "Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Prower. Come on, Cheese, we'd better make sure that Cosmo is okay."

"Chao chao." Cheese followed Cream to the greenhouse.

"She seems like a perfectly nice girl," Rosemary said. "Oh! I should check on Ginger!" Mrs. Prower returned to the living room to find it empty. "I guess she's in the bathroom." She sat down to drink her tea when she heard something in her bedroom fall to the floor.

"What was that?" she wondered. She put down her tea cup, and started down the hall. She came across Ginger, going through her closet.

"What do you think you're doing, young lady!" Mrs. Prower demanded.

Ginger spun around. "Uh…"

"I'm waiting!" Mrs. Prower said.

There was a knock on the door. Rosemary turned towards the sound, and Ginger knocked her down and jumped out the window.

"What the…? You little brat!" Rosemary screamed.

"Who's that?" Cream asked Cheese, as Ginger ran down the driveway.

"A burglar?" Cheese suggested.

"You really think so?" Cream said. "I think you've been watching too many movies, Cheese!"

Tails' mother came running out of her house. "How dare she try to steal from me!" she yelled.

Cream gasped. "You mean that _was_ a burglar?!? Come on, Cheese! Let's get her!"

"What? No, let her go, little girl!" Rosemary cried, grabbing Cream's arm. "You could get hurt!"

"But…but if she stole something," Cream said, not sure of what to do next.

"Just my pride," Rosemary told her.

"Huh?" Cream was really confused now. Sometimes grown-ups just didn't make sense! "Anyway, I knocked again because I wanted to know where I should write to Tails. Do you have his address?"

"He…I'll let him know you asked about him," Rosemary said.

"Oh, okay," Cream said. "Cosmo's fine, and I'll be back later to make sure she's doing great. I'm sorry, Mrs. Prower, I won't disturb you again. Bye-bye!"

"Wait!" Rosemary said. "Uh…would you like some tea?"

"Yes, Ma'am! Are you sure you wouldn't like a cake or a cookie? And maybe I can bring some more that you can take to him? He's been losing a lot of weight since Cosmo…since she…" Cream started to cry.

"Oh no, no, don't cry," Rosemary said. "Did you know that I have a little girl somewhere about your age? We've been trying to find her for a long time."

"Well, when Tails gets back, maybe he can find her," Cream said, following Tails' mother. "Tails is the smartest person I know!"

************

"You ask him," a female voice said. Tails wondered what was going on? Had a couple of patients gotten in his room? What did they want from him? And why did the voice seem familiar?

"It was your idea," another girl said. This one was a stranger to him.

"Um…excuse me?" the familiar voice said. "Um…hi there. Would you like to watch television or something?"

Tails decided to try playing that he was asleep. Maybe whoever it was would just go away.

"He's not interested," the other girl said. "Let's go, Debbie."

"Debbie?!? Of course!" Tails acted like he'd just woken up. He pulled the blanket off his face and yawned sleepily, then opened his eyes. "Debbie? What are you doing here?" Had Amy sent her? Then he noticed she was wearing a pair of yellow coveralls. Just like somebody had put on him while he was unconscious.

"Miles?!?" Debbie cried. "Oh, I had no idea! Oh, Miles, I'm so sorry! Still can't get over your poor girlfriend? Heather, this is the boy I told you about who lost his girlfriend fighting space aliens. He's Tails the Fox, Sonic the Hedgehog's friend."

"Oh?" the other girl said. She was a hedgehog. She was wearing a shawl around her shoulders that covered her arms. "You don't look crazy," she said. "Why are you here?"

"Heather!" Debbie cried. "That's so rude! I'm sorry, Miles. You don't have to tell us why you're here."

"It was a mistake," Tails told them.

"It always is," Heather said. "It was an accident that Debbie hit three people for making fun of the way she looks."

Tails gasped. "You hit people?" he said. "_You_? I mean…you seem so nice!"

"I just couldn't take it anymore!" Debbie admitted. "My mom's so ashamed of me! But they just wouldn't stop! The stares. The comments. The giggles."

"I'm so sorry," Tails said. "I know what it's like."

"Want to know why _I'm_ here?" Heather asked.

"Uh…you really don't have to tell me," Tails said.

"My mother left me on the steps of an orphanage when I was born," she said bitterly. "Didn't want anything to do with me from the start! And no one would ever adopt me!"

Tails wasn't surprised. Heather sounded crazy. And her eyes were scary.

"The other kids in the orphanage made fun of me," Heather went on. "Last week, they tied me to the flagpole and raised me like a flag, so everyone could gawk at me! And when I was finally let down, I caught one of them while she was alone and beat her until she had to be hospitalized. And I'd do it to the others if I ever get the chance!"

Now Tails _really_ wanted out of this place! Heather sounded very dangerous.

"We belong together, the three of us," Heather told him. "We're all freaks! You have two tails, Debbie is half cat and half human, and me…" She threw off her shawl. Tails couldn't help but stare.

Heather had four arms.

"Disgusting, huh?" she demanded. "Feast your eyes, glut your soul, on my accursed ugliness!"

************

Sonic returned to the palace. "Nicole!" he yelled. "I want to see Sally…now!"

Nicole appeared. "Don't shout!" she said. "I really can't help you, Sonic. I'm sorry, but…"

"That's quite all right, Nicole," Princess Sally said, stepping into view. "I know why you're here, Sonic."

"Will you help me?" Sonic demanded. "More importantly, will you help Tails? He always looked up to you, you know."

Sally shook her head. "Sonic," she said softly, "you don't understand. The only way I could get Tails out of the hospital without his parents' okay would be to make him a ward of the crown. That would mean that he would live here at the palace. It would also mean that he'd have to stay here. No helping you fight Dr. Eggman. No going on long trips. No beach parties. Not without a representative going with him. And my schedule makes it nearly impossible for me to be away from the palace for very long."

Sonic made a face. "So you won't help him."

"It would make his life worse, not better," Sally said, placing her hand on his arm. "Please. I've seen the way Tails has been behaving since you came home from space, Sonic. Maybe…maybe this is what he needs. I want him out too. But I want to be sure he'll stay out."

"I have to go," Sonic said, turning and walking away. He didn't trust himself to say anything more. He started running towards the mountains. He needed to do some thinking. And run off excess energy. And hit a few things. Then he'd see Tails and ask him what _he_ wanted. Sonic still didn't know if he would break Tails out or not. He'd have to see how his little buddy was doing first.

************

"Heather, leave Miles alone!" Debbie said. "I'm sorry, she likes to shock people by hiding her extra arms, then waving them in their faces."

"Uh…I'm sorry you feel that way," Tails said. "I've been mistreated my whole life. First because of my tails, and then because of the things I can do."

"You mean fly?" Heather asked. "Can you really do that?"

"Of course he can," Debbie said loyally. "And a whole lot more! He's the smartest person you ever met."

"Debbie, please!" Tails said, blushing. "I just do the best I can." He sighed. "And sometimes, that's no where near enough."

"Oh!" Debbie said. "We came to ask if you wanted to see the movie playing in the tv room."

"I don't think so," Tails said. "I really should…"

"Come on," Debbie said, taking his arm. "You can't hide from people, Miles. Heather and I have learned that the hard way. Now come on. You'll like everybody here. Really you will. We may seem odd, but we're all good people."

"Especially us freaks!" Heather said. She let out a weird giggle. Tails stared at her. "No. I'm not crazy," she said. "I learned a long time ago that I have to accept what I am or go crazy. I handle it by being annoying and scaring people. I'm a monster, I might as well have fun being one."

Tails allowed the two strange girls to drag him away. Halfway through the movie, he realized he'd forgotten they were anything other than two people watching a movie with him.

************

Amy waited until a nurse went on break. She followed her outside of the hospital. When she started to walk behind a bush, blocking her from the view of anyone inside of the building, Amy's pico-pico hammer did its job. Amy took the nurse's uniform, tied her up and gagged her, then walked calmly towards the hospital. She stepped inside, and started looking for Tails. A bulldog passed and she slipped behind a potted plant. He looked scary. She was sure she could handle him, but a fight wouldn't help get Tails out of there.

A girl walked past Amy, talking to herself. Amy shivered. "They've got him in with crazy people!" she thought. "I have to get him out of here fast!"

She nearly ran into Tails as he left Debbie and Heather. The movie was over, and he'd decided not to watch another. He wasn't sure he was ready for more of this. He was lost in thought, like he usually was, and didn't notice her.

"Psst, Tails!" Amy hissed.

Tails did a double take. "Amy?!? Oh no! What are you doing here?"

"Not so loud!" Amy hissed. "I'm here to get you out of here, Tails!"

Tails rolled his eyes. "You'll never get away with this, Amy!" he said.

"Not if you keep calling me Amy!" she pointed out. "I'm Nurse Joy!"

Tails moaned. "Please go away, I'm getting a headache!"

"Ah, Mister Prower, you need to lie down," Amy said, going back into her nurse's act. "Come, I'll take you to your room." She started leading Tails down the corridor.

"My room is the other way," Tails hissed. "Amy, if they catch you, you'll end up in here too!"

"Nonsense," Amy insisted. "My plan is foolproof!"

"Hey, you!" Harry called. "You new here? Where's your I.D.?"

"Uh…" Amy said. "Oh, that! Hi, there! I'm Nurse Joy! Are you single?"

"What?" Harry said. "Who sent you here?"

"I'm sorry," Amy said, starting to perspire, "but…uh…the doctor wants to see this patient immediately."

"Yeah?" Harry said. "Which doctor?"

"Right now, I wouldn't mind seeing a witch doctor, if he could get me out of this mess!" Amy muttered.

"What's all the commotion out here?" Dr. Gantan asked, coming out of her office.

"Duh…?" Amy said. This was proving to be a lot more complicated than she had expected.

"Why don't you check on the kitchen staff, Harry?" Dr. Gantan said. "Come in, both of you."

"Uh…I'm in a big hurry," Amy said, inching backwards away from the doctor.

"No you're not," Dr. Gantan insisted. "You're my next appointment."

Sonic reached the hospital. He went in and looked around. "Uh, excuse me?" he said to the receptionist. "I'm looking for a patient. Ta-Miles Prower?"

"Are you a relative?" the receptionist asked, looking up. She grinned. "Whoa! You're Sonic the Hedgehog, aren't you?"

"In person!" Sonic said, rubbing his nose. "Miles is my best friend. You might have heard people refer to him as Tails the Fox."

"Oh?" she blinked. "Oh, wait, the boy with two tails?" She smacked her forehead. "Duh! Silly me! Sure, Miles Prower." She looked through her books. "Wrong book! Okay, um…here we go! Room 114! Hey, can I have your autograph?"

"Uh, sure," Sonic said, wondering if the inmates had taken over the building.

"Penny, what are you doing here?" a nurse demanded. "You're not an employee here, remember? You're a patient. Now let me show you back to your room." Sonic gasped. The inmates _had_ started to take over!

"This is Sonic the Hedgehog!" Penny said. "Isn't he dreamy?"

"Oh, hello, I'm Treble. You must be here to see Miles. I think he's in room…uh…"

"Room 114," Penny said. "Look, a butterfly!" She ran to the window.

"I'm sorry," Treble said. "Penny is completely harmless. Last week she thought she was a plumber and took apart one of our sinks before someone stopped her."

"Uh…okay," Sonic said. "I really need to see Tails now."

"Well, you should speak to his doctor, Dr. Gantan. I'll take you to her office," Treble said. "Oh, wait, let me get Penny back to her room first!"

Now Sonic was really wondering if the patients were taking over.

As Sonic followed the nurse (at least he hoped this one was the real thing) he worried even more about Tails.

"What the?" Sonic said, seeing Amy there. She was wearing a nurse's uniform. "Oh, no!" he said to himself. "She didn't!"

"Well, you must be Sonic," the doctor said. "I believe you know our new 'nurse?'"

"Um…hi, Sonic!" Amy said with a grin. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"What were you going to…" Sonic slapped his forehead. "Amy, you didn't seriously think you could come in dressed like a nurse and sneak Tails out of here, did you?!?"  
"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," Amy said. She leaned forward and whispered, "Get me out of here, Sonic! She's talking like she wants to commit _me_ next!"

"Well, maybe you need to be here more than Tails does," Sonic hissed back. "I told you to let me handle it. Now you've got his doctor thinking his friends are bad influences on him!"

"I what?!?" Amy cried. Sonic placed his hand over her mouth.

"I'm really sorry about this, Doc," Sonic said nervously. "Amy is very loyal to her friends, and she wasn't convinced that this is the best place for Tai-Miles."

"And are you?" Dr. Gantan asked Sonic.

"Frankly, after seeing one of the patients running the front desk, no," Sonic admitted.

Dr. Gantan rubbed her eyes. "Penny again. I assure you that she is completely harmless. Her baby died in a fire last year and hasn't recovered from it. I'm afraid she probably never will."

"Could we talk to Miles before we go, please?" Sonic asked her.

"Of course, but I hope we won't be seeing this happen again, Miss…"

"Lucy…Lucy Ricardo," Amy said. Sonic and Tails both looked away from her in embarrassment.

"Her name's Amy Rose," Sonic said, "and she _does_ mean well, Doctor. Come on, Amy, let's leave the doctor alone." He dragged her out of the room.

Tails sighed. "I'm really sorry about this," he told his doctor.

"Yes, well, you're lucky you have such loyal friends," Dr. Gantan said, although she didn't look quite as if she believed that.

Tails led Sonic and Amy to his room.

"Everything's all padded," Amy said, sitting down on Tails' dresser. "What do they think you'll do?"

"Don't start, please, Amy," Tails said, sitting down on his bed. "Look, I really appreciate the thought, but I don't want to break out of here. That will just convince my parents that I'm crazy. Besides…" he looked away from them.

"Besides, what, buddy?" Sonic asked, leaning against the wall. "Come on, you can tell us anything."

"Maybe…maybe I should stay here, just for a little while," Tails told them. "Maybe…maybe I need to deal with a few things before I can get on with my life. And Dr. Gantan says I might be able to go home before too long, if I show improvement."

Sonic winked. "So you're gonna act all 'It's a miracle! I'm cured!' so she'll let you out legally, huh?"

Tails ran his hand over his hair. "Maybe. I don't know. It was pretty scary here at first, but I've been getting, well, not exactly used to it, but…" He shook his head. "I just think this might help me. One of the interns is a jerk, but otherwise, it's not bad here. Most of the patients are people who lost everything because of Dr. Eggman. We always rescued his victims, then flew off celebrating because we'd won. But for these people…they're still waiting for us to save them…inside. And that's something we can never do."

"Tails," Sonic said. "If what I did to that robot Cosmo had anything to do with this…I'm so sorry!"

Tails put his arms around his hero. "No, Sonic! I understand why you did it. It hurt so much to see Cosmo--at least, something that looked like her--die again! I was so angry with you. But you're my best friend. My brother. And I forgot, I guess, that I can be angry at someone and still love them." He blushed. "Uh…let me think of another word to replace 'love.'"

"I think it's the perfect word," Amy said, glomping him. "And we all love you, Miles Prower! Don't we, Sonic?" She glared at him when he didn't answer. "I said 'Don't we, Sonic?'"

"Uh…I'm not really comfortable saying I love you to a dude," Sonic said, rubbing the back of his head. "But…yeah, what Amy said. So we're all cool?"

"Cooler than cool!" Tails said.

Sonic and Amy left soon afterwards, promising to come back to see him soon. Tails sighed, then went back to the tv room. Cosmo was there for just a moment. But she was smiling now. "Am I on the right track, Cosmo?" he whispered. "Is that why you're here, smiling?" Then she vanished before his eyes.

Tails stepped into the tv room. Debbie waved. Tails sat down next to her. He didn't want to be here, but he didn't want to go back to being the way he had been. If staying here, talking to his doctor, dealing with what had happened, kept him from having to come back sometime in the future, maybe for good, then he was willing to suffer now. Besides, deep down, a part of him still wanted to be punished. Cosmo had forgiven him again and again, but Tails had yet to find forgiveness from the person he most needed to forgive him: himself.

************

The last day of summer came and went. Amy's long planned end of summer party simply never happened. There was no way that any of them could enjoy themselves with Tails locked away. Cream cried herself to sleep almost every day. Despite her repeated pleadings, everyone agreed with Tails that she shouldn't see him there. A week passed. Then another. Tails' birthday, the sixteenth of October, was fast approaching.

"Good morning, Miles," Doctor Gantan said to Tails the day before his birthday. "How are you feeling today?"

"Okay," Tails said. He hadn't seen Cosmo since that first day in the hospital. Maybe she was gone for good. But that was such a sad thought. Was that what was happening? Was he seeing her because he didn't want her to leave him? Because he wanted to keep seeing her? That was the one thing he had never admitted to his doctor during any of their sessions. Seeing the girl he had wronged.

"Miles," Dr. Gantan said softly, "I think I'd like to send you home for awhile and see how you're doing. What do you say?"

Tails nearly jumped out of his chair. "That--that would be great! Thank you, Doctor Gantan!"

"It's your birthday tomorrow," she went on. "What do you say you go home, celebrate your birthday with your family and friends, and then come and see me the next day and we'll talk?"

"Can I go now?" Tails asked.  
"Don't you have anyone here you'd like to say good-bye to first?" Dr. Gantan asked him.

Tails blushed. "Oh, right. I'm sorry."  
"That's quite all right, Miles," the doctor said. "Of course, you'll have to go with your parents. Do what they tell you. I know you're used to being independent, Miles, but you've received a severe shock, and you need time to learn to cope with it. I don't want to see you coming back here again. So just take it slow and easy. Not too much excitement, and we'll see how it goes. If you start having any problems, I don't want you to keep it bottled up inside. You need to tell someone right away. Now, your mother will be by soon to pick you up."

Tails started to cry. "I'm sorry!" he said, rubbing at his eyes. "I-I just thought--I was starting to worry that I'd never get out of here!"

"That's quite all right, dear," the doctor said. "My little boy would be just about your age now, if…well, I don't want to burden you with my own problems."

"If there's ever anything that you need," Tails offered. "I can build you just about anything. A tv set, a microwave. A car."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, giving him a hug. "Take care of yourself, Miles."

Tails walked through the hospital one last time. It was strange, knowing that he would, hopefully, not be there again. He knew of course exactly who he had to say good-bye to before his mother arrived.

He found Debbie and Heather together watching a comedy on television. Debbie was smiling. Tails realized he'd never seen Heather smile though.

"Miles!" Debbie said. "How are you?"

"Um…better," Tails said. "In fact, I…I'm going to be going home for awhile. I don't know if it'll be for good, but…"

"Oh, that's so wonderful!" Debbie said, hugging him. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah, good for you," Heather said softly. "You know, you're lucky, Miles. You actually have somebody to go back to." She turned and walked away.

"That's the nicest she can handle being," Debbie whispered. "Take care of yourself, Miles. I like you, but I don't want to see you here again. If you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. And, uh…when you get out, don't be a stranger," Tails said. "And you _will_ get out soon, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe," Debbie said. "But right now, I gotta go. Bye, Miles."

Tails watched Debbie hurry after her friend. "It's not fair," he thought. "I think I know what I need to do with my life." He swished his twin tails. Someone needed to speak out for people who were different. And who better than someone who was different?

"Ah, you're my next appointment!" Penny said, grabbing Tails by the hand and dragging him to a chair. She proceeded to file his nails. "You should have come here sooner. You need a manicure badly!"

"Uh…sorry, I've been very busy lately," Tails said. He'd gotten used to Penny by now.

"Miles, are you ready to go, honey?" his mother asked, coming into the room. "Uh…what's going on?"

"Please take a seat and I'll be with you shortly, Ma'am," Penny said. "You meet so many interesting people in this line of work. I was just telling my BFF the other day…"

When Tails and his mother were finally able to get away from her, Rosemary gave her son a hug. "I'm sorry, precious! I had no idea you had to put up with such nonsense! That girl is crazy! She shouldn't be allowed in the same room with you! She didn't hurt you, did she, baby?"

Tails sighed. "Mom, Penny is a nice girl. She has problems, but she means well. And she's completely harmless. Please don't insult people without even getting to know them."

"Don't you worry," Rosemary assured him, "Mommy won't let Daddy put you back in the bad place again!"

"Well…that's good to know," Tails admitted. "Thanks, Mom!"

Tails' father was signing him out. Tails was relieved _he_ hadn't ran into Penny. His father could be very scary, and Penny's life had been too scary already.

The first thing Tails did when he got home was run into the greenhouse. He'd been afraid that his parents might get in somehow and damage Cosmo's plant, but it looked fine. In fact, it had grown several inches. "Soon," he whispered, stroking one leaf. Then he remembered that his parents were watching him. If they got freaked out by his behavior, he'd end up right back at the hospital again. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised.

Tails wondered why none of his friends were there to see him come home. Sonic and Amy had come three times together. Sonic had made two more visits by himself.

"Hey, Bro!" Sanguine said, opening the front door. "Popcorn?"

"Maybe later, Simon," Tails said. "I just want to sit down."

"SURPRISE!" Tails nearly fell over. They were there in his house: Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Vector, Espio, Charmy, and Cream and Cheese with her mother. The little bunny threw her arms around him and wailed like a baby.

"Welcome home, Tails!" she sobbed.

"But, but…" Tails sputtered.

"Your little friend here is very persuasive," his mother said softly. "I still don't like most of these people, but your father and I realize they're your friends, and being around them might help you get better faster."

"Thanks, Mom, Dad," Tails said.

"I'll be in my room," his father said. Tails smiled. That was the nicest his dad was likely to ever get.

"We won't stay too long," Amy said, hugging Tails. "We know you need to settle down, and get ready for your birthday party tomorrow. Whoops! My bad! Now it's not a surprise!"

"I think I've had my quota of surprises for awhile!" Tails said. "Excuse me for a second."

Tails went over to Knuckles, who was looking uncomfortable. "I know you don't care much for my company," the echidna said, "but…"

"It's okay," Tails said. "Actually, I'd like to apologize, Knuckles."

"Huh?" the guardian said, taking a step backwards. "You want to apologize to me?"

"I was so upset, I forgot that you tried very hard to save Cosmo," Tails said. "You were the one that made the biggest effort to try to get me to come up with another way to stop Dark Oak. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention at the time. My mind was too preoccupied with what was happening to listen."  
"I liked her," Knuckles said. "She understood me. She didn't say I was stupid for letting Eggman trick me all those times. She was a good kid, Tails." Knuckles face turned bright red and he turned away. Knuckles didn't take compliments well.

Tails' friends left soon, promising to return to the party. Sonic was last.

"You sure you're really okay, little buddy?" he asked, looking into Tails eyes.

"I feel a little better," Tails said. "Maybe just because people asked me how I felt, instead of telling me how I should feel. Sonic…about this girl, Ginger…"

"Don't worry, buddy," Sonic said. "She finally blew it searching your house. Your mom threw her out, and she's on the run now. I don't think we'll be hearing from her again."

"Well, that's a relief," Tails said. "So…see you tomorrow, right?"

"Just try and keep me away!" Sonic said, speeding off.

"You okay, Miles?" Sanguine asked him. "I was just going to watch a movie on tv."

"Sure, why not?" Tails said. Maybe he could even learn to bond with his brother. At least, he felt like trying now.

************

_Come to see your boy, Cosmo?_

_He's not my boy, oneesama. I see he's with his friends. He looks happy. I'm glad for him._

_It's his birthday. Would you like to say hello to him?_

_I…no. No, he has Sonic and Amy…and Cream. He doesn't need me. _

_Doesn't he? The way you paused before you said Cream. Jealous?_

_What? Of Cream? No! No, of course not! Cream was like another sister to me!_

_Indeed? Why, what's this? Why are you crying, little sister?_

_I'm not crying! I…have something in my eye! That's all!_

_Of course._

To be continued

Gantan is the first day of the new year in Japan, so it seemed like a good name for someone who's trying to give Tails a new beginning. Tails is out of the hospital, but is he better?

Four chapters to go. Next time, we follow Tails from his birthday through the end of the worst year of his life.


	27. Chapter 27: Happy New Year's Tails!

(I'd like to mention that while there will be a sequel, the chapters will be much shorter. I'd also like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I'll try to update faster for the rest of the story. Thank you all for the 9000 hits!)

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Happy New Year Tails! "

October 16:

Tails' birthday was more hopeful than anything else. Tails smiled and nodded and talked to everyone, but it was clear that his heart wasn't really in it. He had a far away look in his eyes. He couldn't help but remember his last birthday. He had barely known Cosmo at the time. She hadn't really understood the idea of birthdays.

"Didn't you ever have a birthday party, Cosmo?" Cream had asked, sounding shocked.

"We didn't have much reason to celebrate on the ship," Cosmo had said sadly. "My sisters acknowledged that I was older every year, but…" She had started crying then. The loss of her sisters had still been fresh on her mind. Cream had thrown her arms around her. Thinking back, Tails cursed himself for not doing the same.

"When's your birthday, Cosmo?" Cream had asked her.

Cosmo had started crying again. "It was…it was the day I fell out of the sky! Onto your world!"

Everyone had been shocked. Cosmo had crash landed on Mobius on her birthday? How sad!

"Then we need to have a birthday for you, don't we, Tails?" Cream had said.

"Sure," Tails said. "You can have it today if you want!"

Cosmo shook her head. "No. This is _your _special day, Tails. I won't take it from you." And if he didn't already love her, Tails started to right then and there.

They had given Cosmo a birthday party a few days later. Once again, she had started crying. And once again, it had been Cream, and not Tails, who had comforted her. He struggled not to punch the wall of his living room. What had been wrong with him?!? He hadn't acted like a nerd, afraid of girls. He had acted like he had social anxiety disorder or was autistic or something.

Tails realized he had cried all through Cosmo's birthday this year. She hadn't quite made it. Close, but she was gone. He smiled sadly. At least she had had that one party on the Blue Typhoon.

Tails shook his head. "I gotta cheer up!" he thought. "I don't want to go back to that bad place again.

Tails looked up to find that Sonic, Amy, and Cream were all staring at him.

"Tails?" Cream asked. "Are you okay?"

"I guess so," Tails said. "I was just…thinking."

"I know, Cream said, "you wish Cosmo could be here. I wish she could too! But--but maybe…maybe next year…maybe?"

"Maybe," Tails said, trying to smile. "Sorry, guys. I guess special occasions are harder than other times. I just feel a little guilty, trying to enjoy myself when Cosmo's…not here."

Cream and Amy both hugged him. Amy was obviously worried about him, but Tails could tell that Cream's hugs were different. She was still falling for him, and he had no idea what he should do about it. He'd have asked Sonic, but his best friend had been trying to get rid of Amy for about six years now, and it hadn't done him a bit of good.

Once his friends left, Tails' mother said, "Honey, are you sure you're okay? Look, I got you so many nice new outfits!" She held up a brown woolen coat and red and brown plaid corduroy pants.

"I'm…fine, Mom," Tails said, hoping his friends wouldn't see him in that outfit.

"Go on, try it on, precious!" Rosemary insisted, ruffling his hair.

Tails sighed and went into his room to change. When he came out, his mother said, "Come over here, let's see how that looks on you."

Tails walked towards her. The corduroys made a "zoo-zup-zoo-zup" sound as he walked. "Great!" he said to himself. "People will hear me coming and wonder what's invading them! I'll have a great time trying to sneak up on Eggman wearing these!"

"Beautiful!" she said, clapping her hands. "Amadeus, doesn't our son look handsome?"

"Of course, he's a Prower!" Tails' father said. "Now where's the other one?"

Sanguine had supposedly gone to his room right after the party. Actually, his room was empty.

Then there was a flash of light, and he appeared. He took off his cloak and hanged it in the back of his closet. Chaos control was getting easier to use. But he still wasn't ready to tell anyone he could do it yet. He left his room, planning to talk to Tails, and stopped halfway down the hall. "What's that weird noise? Sounds vaguely familiar." He went into the living room. "Good grief!" he thought. "Those look just like the pants Mom made _me_ wear when I was six!"

Sanguine walked over to Tails, who gave him a look that obviously said, "Don't you dare say one word!"

So naturally, how could his brother resist? "Nice duds, little bro! Going to a party?"

"Shut up," Tails muttered. "May I go to my room now, please, Mom?"

"Going to play with your toys?" she asked. "Sure, have fun, sweetie!"

Tails rolled his eyes as he "zoo-zup-zoo-zupped" to his room.

Once there, he tossed the corduroys on the floor and started trying to decide how to "accidentally" get rid of them. It wasn't like he needed to wear anything other than his regular outfit.

Tails took a picture of Cosmo off his dresser and looked at it. "I miss you," he said. "I wanted you to be here today with me." He kissed the picture then placed it back on the dresser. He shut his eyes. His parents were still annoying him, but at least they let his friends come over today. Maybe things would work out after all. Tails thought about Cosmo. The pain was still there. Would _always_ be there. But it didn't hurt all the time like it had. Maybe those weeks in the hospital had been good for him. He wasn't ready to go on with his life, but he could see himself getting excited about his work and hanging out with Sonic and the others again. He could even tolerate Rouge in small doses.

Tails smiled. "It doesn't hurt so much to think about you," he whispered. He ignored his presents except for the book Sonic had gotten him, "Quantum Physics and the Universe." Sonic hadn't understood any of it, but he'd been sure Tails would be interested.

"It's beyond me, so I don't think it'll bore you too much," Sonic had said. Tails read a chapter, noting one error. He wondered if he should write the author and point it out.

"No, he might think I'm being rude." Tails read another chapter, then, feeling tired, left his room to check on Cosmo's plant. The flower bud was large enough for Cheese to fit inside. He stroked one of the petals, then went inside and said good night to his family. He returned to his room, turned off the light and got into bed. "Good night, Cosmo."

Tails found himself in a grassy meadow. He saw women with green and blue hair walking about. They were wearing outfits similar to the ones that Cosmo had worn. He saw a young woman with a single flower on the top of her head that he recognized from a photograph Cosmo had brought with her. He approached her.

"Hello, boy," she said. "You're looking for Cosmo, aren't you?"

"Yes, I…I'm sorry," Tails said. "I'm sure she told me your name, but…" He looked around. Where was Cosmo? Why was her sister here? Had something happened to her?!?

"Galaxina," she answered. Then, as if she'd read his mind, she added, "Oh, don't worry. She's coming. But I wanted to speak to you first."

"I'm sorry!" Tails told her. "I didn't want to do it! I've tried again and again to think of another way!"

"Yes, yes, I've heard you tell her that," Galaxina said.

"You've heard me talk to her?" Tails asked. He felt his face grow warm. What exactly had she heard?

"I've never had any use for animals," Galaxina said. "They destroyed our home world, and turned our men and women against each other. But you and your friends seem decent. And I can see the love between the two of you. Cosmo is very special, boy, and her happiness is more important than anything else to me."

"Are you asking me to stop speaking to her?" Tails asked. "To let her go?"

"Are you willing to do that?" Galaxina demanded. "Could you? Could you love the little floppy-eared girl and forget my sister?"

"The floppy-eared…you mean Cream?" Tails asked. "She's my friend. Almost a sister to me."

Galaxina giggled "You're a silly boy, aren't you? The look on your face just now was priceless! Now, here she comes! Good-bye, boy."

And there she was. Tails felt the sunny field suddenly become even brighter. Cosmo stared at Galaxina. "Onee-sama? Why are you here?!?"

Galaxina smiled at her. "Oh, just curious. I'll leave you two alone now."

Cosmo turned to watch her sister walk away. She seemed as confused by Galaxina's appearance as Tails was. Then she seemed to remember that Tails was there. "Hello, Tails! It's so good to be able to speak with you today! I was watching, and I saw it was your birthday. I'm so sorry if I made it a sad one. Happy birthday, Tails!" She put her arms around him. "I wish I could give you a present, but you wouldn't be able to take back anything I gave you."

"Your being here is the only present I need," Tails said, hugging her tight. "Thank you for letting me see you again. I've missed you so much, Cosmo!"

"You're welcome," Cosmo said. "Thank you for still wanting to see me."

Tails gasped. "Of course I still want to see you! I will always want to see you!"

Cosmo sighed. Her grip loosened, then suddenly tightened again, as if desperately.

"Cosmo?" Tails said. "Cosmo, what's wrong?" He tried to look at her face, but she turned her head away from him. "Cosmo? Please speak to me!"

"It's nothing, Tails," Cosmo said. "I just…I was just wondering how it would have been if…if I had been able to come home to your planet, like I'd promised."

"I would have done everything I could to make you happy every day!" Tails swore, laying his head against hers. "I…I wanted you to…to stay with me, Cosmo."

"You're so sweet," Cosmo said. "If only I could have met you and Sonic and the others before the Metarex found our ship. If we had all survived, I would have been so happy to come back with you. And maybe…maybe you could have come to my world, and helped us rebuild the Green Planet into the beautiful world it once was. Even long abandoned, and without its planet egg, it was a nice world, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was," Tails said. He remembered Rouge saying Shadow found all of the tall trees creepy, but what did he know about nature's beauty? "I would have liked that. Your sister seems nice. I didn't think your people liked animals."

Cosmo sighed. "She doesn't," she admitted. "But she loves me, and she knows you make me happy. It would have been so wonderful to introduce you to my mother and sisters. And you could have introduced me to your family."

"Ah…yeah, sure," Tails said, somehow doubting that his parents would like her, and wondering if his brother would have added Cosmo to his list of people he liked to annoy.

Cosmo sighed again. "I have to go now, Tails," she said sadly. "You'll be all right, won't you?"

"Will you come back again?" Tails asked her. Every time he'd seen her, he'd been terrified that it would be the last time.

"I'll see you soon," she promised. "But you need to go on without me. And please, Tails, don't try anything like your time machine again! Galaxina told me it failed and really hurt you."

Tails cringed. Had she seen him carried away in a straightjacket? "Did she…tell you anything else?" he asked fearfully.

"Only that you were very ill for awhile afterwards," Cosmo told him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching over you then. Please forgive me. There were…things I had to do."

So she didn't know. Tails was so relieved, he didn't ask her what sort of things she'd had to do. "It's okay," he assured her. "Just to know that you're watching me when you can is wonderful. I…I don't want to take up too much of your time, Cosmo!"

"Time has no meaning here," Cosmo told him. "Oh, Tails. You seem so thin! Aren't you taking care of yourself? Please don't make me worry!"

"I'm sorry," Tails said. "I don't want to upset you again! I'll take better care of myself, I promise!"

"Good bye, Tails," Cosmo said, pulling away from him. "Until we meet again!"

"Good bye, Cosmo!" Tails called as she moved away from him. "I love you!"

"I love you too, Tails!" Cosmo said. "Never forget that!"

"I won't!" Tails promised. "Never!"

Tails woke with tears in his eyes, but a smile on his face. She loved him. And he'd see her again soon.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough to get him through this.

Thanksgiving:

"Mom, I'm going to Cream's house for lunch," Tails told his mother.

"Don't eat too much, dear," Rosemary told him. "Save some room in your tummy for supper!"

Tails cringed at the word "tummy." "Yes, Mom," he said.

The weather was growing colder. A slight wind blew. Tails looked at all of the falling leaves, red and orange and yellow. He wondered, not for the first time, if Cosmo's hair might have changed like that if she'd come back. Yet another thing that he would never know about her.

Tails was lost in thought, so he didn't noticed until too late that he was being followed. Without warning, someone had their arms around him. "Wha?"

"Hello, Miles, remember me? I've been waiting for a special occasion to ruin for you. I'd've waited for Christmas, but I got impatient. Miss me, sweety?"

Tails moaned. "Get away from me, Ginger! You're not fooling anyone anymore, and the guard is after you, so you'd better get out of town if you know what's good for you!"

"You and your fat pig of a mother embarrassed me," Ginger hissed, suddenly wrapping her legs as well as her arms around him.

"Hey!" Tails cried. "Watch what you say about my mother!"

"You already have a bad reputation, don't you two tails?" Ginger asked. "How many people know you spent some time in the loony bin?"

"None of your business!" Tails said angrily, trying to pry her loose. "And the people at the hospital are all better people than you could ever hope to be!"

"How much worse would your reputation be if word got out that you were doing things you shouldn't?"  
Ginger demanded.

"What are you talking about, blackmail?!" Tails cried. "I haven't done anything!"

"No?" she said, giggling. "See those people walking by?" Tails looked at an old couple passing them arm in arm.

"What about them?" Tails asked. "They look perfectly nice."

"So how would they react if they saw this?" Ginger suddenly kissed Tails' ear. "Or heard this: Oo, yes, Miles! I'd love to go to your house and have some _special_ fun with you!"

"Hey!" Tails yelled, really trying to shake her loose now. "Stop it!"

The couple had stopped and were staring at them now. A couple more people came out of their houses after hearing Ginger's suddenly loud voice.

"But what if your mother catches us?" Ginger whined. "You naughty, naughty boy!"

"Hey!" Tails yelled. "I mean it! Get off of me!"

Ginger jumped down and slapped his face. "How could you treat me so awful, you jerk? After all the fun times we've had? Was that all I was to you?"

Tails snarled. "I mean it, Ginger! Get away from me and don't come back!"

"Tails? What's going on?" Tails moaned as Cream showed up.

"This terrible boy was doing unspeakable things to me poor little me!" Ginger said. "Look out, or you'll be next!"

Cream puffed out her cheeks. Pow! Ginger went flying into a pile of leaves. "You shut up telling fibs about good people!" Cream yelled. She grabbed Tails by the arm and started pulling him away. Cheese yelled at Ginger in chao talk, then followed. "You shouldn't associate with characters like that, Tails!"

"Sorry, Cream," Tails said, relieved, embarrassed, and somewhat shocked by the little bunny's behavior all at the same time.

Ginger dragged herself to her feet and started brushing off leaves. "How could anybody so sweet-looking punch like that?!? But she'll be sorry! And so will he!"

"Maybe we can help each other," a voice said. Ginger turned to see a red fox in a black leather outfit.

"Who are you?" the monkey girl demanded.

The fox grinned, showing her fangs. "My name is Fiona, and if you want revenge on Miles Prower, then we have a lot to talk about!"

Tails and Cream went on to Cream's house, with no idea what would one day be coming.

December 24:

Christmas Eve found Sonic, Amy, Cream and Cheese, Knuckles, Rouge, Vector, Espio, and Charmy all together at Cream's house. There were brightly wrapped presents for everyone, Christmas music was playing, and Cream and Vanilla had brought out several trays of cookies and punch, but no one felt very much like enjoying themselves. Tails had not shown up. Six o'clock became seven, and then seven-thirty.

Amy looked at Sonic. He was sitting in a chair with his feet up, apparently asleep.

"Amy?" Cream said softly. "Do you think Tails is coming?"

"He told me yesterday if he didn't show up to go ahead and have the party without him," Sonic said without opening his eyes.

"I thought you were asleep!" Amy said.

Sonic opened his eyes just as Amy pounced on him. He tried to jump up, but he'd been leaning back in the chair. He fell over backwards, and she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big kiss on the lips.

"Now you kiss me!" she said, holding mistletoe over his head.

"Uh…um…Hey, look! Eggman!"

Amy glared at him. "Just how stupid do you think I am!" she demanded.

"Is that a trick question?" Knuckles asked. Rouge laughed.

"Oh shut up, both of you!" Amy yelled. She turned back to Sonic. "Now come on, kiss me! I guarantee it won't hurt, and you might just like it!"

Sonic sighed. 'Okay, okay," he said. "Close your eyes!"

Amy shut her eyes and puckered up. Sonic kissed her on the elbow. "There you go!"

Amy's eyes flew open. "That was it?!?" she screeched. "My Christmas kiss, and it was on the elbow?!?"

"Mister Sonic?" Cream asked. "Shouldn't you go and get Tails?"

"Yeah," Rouge said, helping Knuckles make decorations. "I read someplace that Christmas and New Year's are the worst times for suicides." Everyone glared at her. "Well…that's just what I read."

Cream gasped. "Tails would never do something like that!" No one had told her about Tails' time in the mental hospital. Tails' mother had said he was visiting someone, and none of the little bunny's friends had ever told her otherwise.

"Sonic, you'd better go and get him!" Amy said. "He knows what today is. He should have been here over an hour ago!"

"I know," Sonic said. "I didn't want to embarrass him by going over and dragging him down here, but I can see now that I'll have to." He put on his hat and coat. Amy wrapped a scarf around his neck.

"Don't try running too much on the snow, you'll fall and hurt yourself," Amy said, giving him a hug. Sonic froze for a moment, then gave her a pat on the shoulder blades.

"Yes, Mother!" he said with a grin, tweaking her nose.

"I'm not your mother," Amy said, "and don't pull on my nose! I don't want it getting any bigger!"

"Then you'd better not tell no lies, Pinocchio!" Sonic kidded, opening the front door and starting out into the winter wonderland all around him.

"Make sure you hurry back before dinner's ready!" Amy called, then shut the door.

"I thought Tails was getting better," Charmy said. "You think he's gone back to his bad place?"

"Don't even suggest such a dreadful thing!" Cream sobbed. "Tails _is_ getting better! Isn't he, Amy?"

Amy bit her lip. "S-sure he is, Cream," she said. She put her arm around her best friend, then gave Charmy a dirty look. The bee hid behind Vector.

"I wonder if Chris is having Christmas with Helen and Danny and Frances right now?" Cream asked. She turned to Knuckles. "Mister Knuckles? Can't you try to call them?"

"Sorry," Knuckles said, putting marshmallows in his hot cocoa. "The Master Emerald is still in four pieces. I can't do much except guard them until they fuse together. That might be a couple more months."

"I'm sure Chris got home safely," Amy assured Cream. No one said anything. The idea that Eggman actually sent Chris home seemed far less likely, after the Metal Cosmo incident. "I mean, all of us got home, didn't we?"

Cream sighed. "Not everyone got home," she said softly. "Or even had a home, or family, to go home to." She looked out the window at the snow. "But I…I guess she's with them now, huh?"

Sonic knocked on Tails' door. There was no answer. Sonic shivered, but not from the cold. Suicides were supposed were supposed to be most common during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. "Tails!" he cried, pounding on the door. "Tails, it's me, Sonic! Open up, little buddy!"

Nothing. Sonic nearly kicked in the door, but that would just cause more work for Tails if he was okay. "He's probably just at the greenhouse, making sure Cosmo's plant isn't freezing," he decided. Sonic ran to Tails' fence, hurdled the gate, and raced to the greenhouse. He could see Cosmo's plant, now as big as he was. Then Tails stepped out from behind a bush. He stood staring at the plant.

Sonic leaned against the security monitor. It scanned his eye.

"Nikki Parlouzer, a.k.a. Sonic the Hedgehog! Admission granted!" came a voice. The door opened at Sonic's touch. He closed it gently behind him, then walked slowly through the greenhouse, until he reached his best friend.

Tails hadn't moved. Obviously hadn't noticed his arrival. The fox was still staring at the plant.

Sonic placed his hand on Tails' shoulder. Tails jumped.

"Oh! Sonic! I didn't hear you come in," Tails said. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah," Sonic said, "we all need a certain two-tailed fox at the Christmas party he promised to attend."

"Christmas already?" Tails said. 'Wow. Time sure does fly these days, doesn't it?" He sighed. "It always used to seem so slow. Guess I'm getting old."

"Come on," Sonic said. "You're eleven! That's not old! You're still a kid!"

"Physically," Tails admitted, "but I haven't been a kid for most of my life." He looked back at the plant. "And she never got to be one at all. Not really. If…if she _does_ come back, I need to make that up to her."

"You're not responsible for Cosmo having a tough life," Sonic said. "You couldn't do anything about it. Don't start doing this to yourself again, little buddy."

"I'm doing better, really I am," Tails assured him. "It's just the holidays, I guess. Remember that first Christmas at Knothole? I cried for days. I was such a wimp. I-I guess I still am."

"No way!" Sonic said, placing his hand on Tails' shoulder. "You're tougher than anybody I know. If it had been me, I'd've fallen apart completely."

"Nah, you're Sonic the Hedgehog," Tails told him. "Sonic doesn't fall apart." He walked about the greenhouse a little. Sonic followed him.

"Tails?" Sonic said at last, breaking the silence. "You _are _coming to the Christmas party over at Miss Vanilla's, aren't you?"

"I'm afraid to leave Cosmo's plant alone that long, Sonic," Tails said. "It's much too big to be moved now. And there's no one here to guard it if I leave. If Eggman broke in here and stole it, I'd never forgive myself!"

"Tails," Sonic said. "You're going to disappoint Cream if you don't show up."

Tails sighed. "She's falling for me, Sonic," he said softly, leaning against the wall of the greenhouse. "I can see it in her eyes. It's the same kind of look Amy gives you."  
"Cream is a great girl, little buddy," Sonic pointed out. "She's kind and generous, and a great cook, and you know she'd never cheat on you."

"I know," Tails said, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "Cream is very special to me. She understands me in ways that even you don't, Sonic. But I love Cosmo. I could never give Cream my heart, and she'd know it. I'd end up hurting her, and I don't want to do that to her."

"Yeah," Sonic said, looking off into the distance. "Sometimes…I feel the same way…"

Tails smiled sadly. "You wonder if you should keep trying to get Princess Sally back, or make a new start with Amy, don't you? Well, I have to say I'm rooting for Amy, even if she does drive me crazy sometimes, and threaten me with her hammer when I won't tell her where you are. But if you still love Princess Sally, then maybe you should try talking to her. I don't mean 'Hey, Sal, what's up?' I mean a real conversation. Tell her how you feel. Don't spend your life wondering what might have been."

"You neither, little brother," Sonic said. "Now come on, at least go in and talk to everybody. Get your gifts. Then if you don't want to stay, you can go. Please? I wouldn't beg anybody but you, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Tails said. He sighed. "Okay, let me make sure the greenhouse is locked up, and put on a hat and scarf and boots."

The trip to Vanilla's house was uneventful. No sign of Eggman for several weeks. That was always bad. It could only mean that the mad genius was hard at work on one of his more violent and crazy schemes. But that didn't bother them right then. Eggman was like a splinter that they couldn't get out. Always there, always irritating, but no longer serious enough for them to worry too much about him.

Or so they believed.

Cream came out into the snow when she saw them coming. "Tails!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you so much for coming today! You shouldn't worry us like that!"

"I can't stay long," Tails said, trying to pry himself free of her without seeming rude. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he didn't want her thinking he was interested either.

"You're probably as important to me as Sonic now," Tails thought, looking into her smiling face. "I'm sorry, Cream, but can't that be enough?"

Cream ushered Tails in, ignoring Sonic. Amy looked at her would-be boyfriend as if to say "See?" Sonic looked back at her as if to tell her "No, Amy!"

"Come help trim the tree!" Cream told Tails. "Don't worry, it's not real. We would never kill a real tree. Not after…"

"It's okay," Tails said. He knew she was going to say "not after Cosmo turned into a tree and died." It was so strange, to think that the girl he loved had done that. That it had been her eventual destiny, if she had lived and grown old. What had been wrong with the Seedrian DNA that such a thing would happen? Genetic manipulation? Evolution gone wrong? He thought of Cosmo coming home with him, of them having a family together, then, one day when they were old, waking up to find her turning into a tree. Saying good-bye to her anyway. How awful!

"Cream," Amy said softly. "Do you want to put the star on top?"

"I guess," Cream said. She looked at Tails. "Will you help me up, please?" Tails looked into her face. He realized suddenly that she'd changed. Five days ago, she'd turned nine. Her face was thinner, her eyes a little less bright and innocent. He hadn't even noticed.

Cream could easily fly up to the top of the tree by herself. Tails remembered helping Cosmo prepare that party on the Blue Typhoon. He'd lifted Cosmo up on that day. It had been a very special moment for him, and, he hoped, for Cosmo as well. Was Cream thinking about that? Did she want a special moment like that too? He sighed, and lifted her up. She placed the star on the top, and Amy clapped. Big and Charmy joined her. Tails set her down.

"Thank you, Tails!" Cream said, smiling at him.

"You're welcome," Tails said. He went over to where Sonic was trying to avoid getting hugged by Amy. "Please, Cream, don't start doing like that!" he thought. "I don't want to hurt you the way Sonic must be hurting Amy!"

Tails looked at his friends. Amy had heavy make-up on her left cheek that failed to hide the new pimple she had just gotten, but her eyes looked too old for her to be breaking out like that. Knuckles looked unhappy. Sonic and Cream had been saying that he didn't spend much time watching the Master Emerald these days. Rouge staggered a little as she got up to get some punch. Had she been drinking? Even Big and Cheese, who never let anything bother them, looked thoughtful.

"We're all aging prematurely," Tails worried. "I've gotten the worst of it, but all of my friends are suffering too. How much of this is from the battles, and how much because I've been depressing everybody with my attitude?" He clenched his fists. "Well, no more! Time to stop hurting the people who mean the most to me!"

"I'll get popcorn, everybody," Cream said, jumping up. Tails got up as well.

"Here, Cream, let me help you," he offered.

"Sure, thanks, Tails!" Cream said, taking his hand.

"See, Sonic?" Amy whispered. "He's getting better. We're going to get our Tails back!"

Sonic sighed. "I hope you're right, Amy." He wondered what he should do about Amy. She had wasted so many years chasing him, and he still couldn't offer her anything. Would it be best to make her leave? Hurt her so badly that she'd stop following him? He didn't want to do that to her. But wasn't it worse, if she spent her whole life trying to get him to love her, and he never did?"

"Sonic?" he heard suddenly. "Sonic! You haven't been listening to a word I've said!"

"Huh? What was that Amy?" Sonic couldn't say anything, since he really had been ignoring her.  
Amy pouted. "You haven't been paying attention to me since you got here! I was talking about my childhood. Things sure haven't turned out the way I thought they would!"

Sonic sighed. "I'm sorry, Amy," he said. "I thought I'd've beaten Eggman once and for all long before now. But even if he _was_ stopped, there were still so many other crazy people out there. Sonic wondered if it would ever end.

"Amy?" he said softly. "Did you ever just wish for a normal life?"

"Nah, being your head cheerleader when you fight Doctor Crazy is a whole lot more fun than going to school every day and sitting in class listening to boring teachers," Amy told him.

Sonic suddenly felt bad about the elbow trick he'd pulled on her. He kissed her on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Amy Rose."

"Merry Christmas, Nicky Parlouzer!" Amy said, kissing him on the lips again. He pushed her away, but not the way he usually did. Maybe, just maybe, she was starting to grow on him after all.

After the party broke up, Sonic walked Tails home. "You sure you'll be okay, little buddy?" Sonic asked. "I can stay if you want."

"No, I'm okay," Tails assured him. "I have to say, it's a relief to be on my own again. My parents mean well, but I can only take so much of their helping before I want to hide under my bed." Tails shook his head. "That sounds so awful, doesn't it? I missed them so long, then they come back, and I say something like that! It…it makes me wonder…"  
"Wonder what?" Sonic asked. "Come on, you know you can tell me anything!"

Tails sat down on his chair in his living room. "I just wondered if…if there'd be a point where I'd be so used to Cosmo being gone, it would be strange to have her back again. I don't want that to ever happen!"

Sonic sat down on Tails' couch. "You still love your parents, right? It's the things they expect from you that drive you up the wall. You don't think Cosmo would come back and start annoying you, do you?"

Tails sputtered. "Of course not! Sorry, my mind wanders sometimes. I start thinking of every possibility for every event in my life, and my brain just won't stop." He sighed, then looked up at Sonic. "Maybe you could just stay until I fell asleep? I mean, if that's okay with you?"

"Sure," Sonic said. "Whatever you think is best."

After Tails fell asleep, however, Sonic went back to the fox's living room and sat down. He wasn't going anywhere that night. Just in case.

Sonic leaned his head back against the couch and shut his eyes. Being Sonic the hedgehog wasn't fun anymore. Eggman was still a problem after all these years. Would Sonic have to kill him after all to make it stop? The way he'd had to kill the Metarex? Most of them were robots, but the kings were living beings. Maybe even good people once before they were pushed too far and lost their minds. But he couldn't afford to worry too much about his enemies. Amy's parents and Cream's father were almost certainly dead by this time. Knuckles' father had died in combat. Rouge never spoke about her family, but she'd admitted to Knuckles that she'd been alone pretty much her entire life. Then there were their friends. Tikal, dead generations ago, but still haunting the Master Emerald. Emerl, destroyed by Cream of all people when he went out of control. Too much violence.

"Maybe Tails' crazy brother was right when he said I need to get better control of my powers," he thought. "When I was Super Sonic, I found Chris, either dying or dead, and…and somehow I saved him." He closed his eyes. "But when I tried the same thing for Cosmo, it didn't work. At least not right. If that _is _her, why did she become a seed? Why didn't she come back again the way she had been? Was I out of power? Was she too far gone? Did I subconsciously hold back using too much energy in case I needed to fight some more? I don't know. After all these years, I guess I don't really know too much about my powers. And I should. I don't want anybody else to suffer like Tails is if I can prevent it."

Sonic fell asleep after about another hour of worrying. He'd found no answers.

Tails found himself in a meadow near a stream. He followed the stream to a bridge. Looking up, he smiled as he saw Cosmo sitting on it, dangling her feet in the water.

"Hello, Tails," she said, smiling back at him. "Will you join me?"  
"Sure!" Tails cried, flying up to where she was sitting. He landed and sat down beside. He removed his shoes and put his feet in the water the same way she had. "It feels really nice."

"Yes, it does," she said, nodding happily. "Is today special? I saw all of your friends together. And a tree that had no life in it."

"Oh, it was an artificial tree," Tails said. "Today is Christmas Eve. Remember, we celebrated Christmas on the Blue Typhoon?"

"Oh yes," Cosmo said, nodding. "This is a very special night then. But once again, I have no present to give to you."

"Of course you do," Tails said. "This is the best gift I could ever have!"

"I'm so glad you feel this way, Tails!" Cosmo said. "Will you go swimming with me?"

"Well, I'm not much of a swimmer," Tails admitted, "but I'll do my best!"

"Then let's swim to that little island over there!" Cosmo told him. "Ready…set…go!" She dived in and swam like a porpoise. Tails kind of flopped in. He really wasn't that great a swimmer, although much better than Sonic, who still hated water. But Cosmo only just beat him. Since he'd seen her swim incredibly fast while they were hunting the chaos emeralds, he knew that she'd gone slow for him. She held out her hand and helped him onto the island. It was about as big as his house. Flowers grew here and there.

"Isn't this place beautiful?" Cosmo asked.

"Yeah, it sure is!" Tails said. "Cosmo…if this is Heaven, then…"

"No, you're not dead," Cosmo assured him. You'll wake up soon, Tails."

Tails sighed. Cosmo took his chin in her hand and forced him to look at her. "Don't even think of saying you want to stay here, Miles Prower!" she scolded. "I will be angry with you if you start talking that way!"

"I'm sorry," Tails said. "It's just so beautiful, and you seem so happy here!" He sighed. "I know where there's an island not really that much bigger than this. Only Cream and I know about it. I wish so much I could take you to it, Cosmo!"

"You told Cream but not Sonic?" Cosmo asked. "Is she special to you now, Tails?"

"What?!?" Tails cried. "No, Cosmo! Cream is my friend! I took her there because she was hurt, and it was the closest place. I'm sorry. I wanted it to be our place. Just you and me."

"I'm sorry," Cosmo said, kissing his cheek. "Please forgive me for asking."

"No, I don't blame you," Tails said. "I…when I thought you…liked Knuckles, I was…very jealous."

"He seemed sad and vulnerable," Cosmo said. "But you were the one I was fond of."

"Because I'm sadder and more vulnerable?" Tails asked.

Cosmo hugged him. "No, silly! Because you are wonderful! Now, race you back to the bridge! One…two…three…go!" Again, Cosmo beat him by just a little bit. Again she helped him out of the water. She put her arms around him, and Tails realized that, despite having been in the water just moments before, neither of them was wet.

"I have to go now, Tails," she said. "I'll see you soon. Good bye."

"Good bye, Cosmo," Tails said as the bridge, the stream, the sky, and, most important of all, Cosmo, faded from his sight. Tails woke, saw that it was midnight, Christmas Day, then rolled over and went back to sleep. He slept late, but it didn't matter. He'd already been given the most precious gift of all.

December 31:

New Year's Eve found everyone together again. Everyone, that was, except for Tails again. Again, Sonic had to go after him. Again, he found him in the greenhouse. This time, Tails was asleep. Sonic stood and waited for awhile. He didn't want to disturb him.

In his dream, Tails was in a bright light. Then he saw her. Cosmo. He ran to her. "Cosmo! Oh, Cosmo, I'm so happy to see you!"

Cosmo placed her arms around him. "Are you happy, Tails? Are you feeling better? You know I worry about you!"

"Yeah, I'm doing okay," Tails said. "Better seeing you! How are you, Cosmo? And your mother and sisters?" He gasped. He was so stupid asking her that! They were dead, so they couldn't get sick or hurt. "I-I'm sorry!"

"No, Tails," Cosmo reassured him. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I see that everyone is gathering for some reason again. Is it another special occasion?"

"It's New Year's Eve," Tails told her. "The old year is ending, and a new year is beginning."

"Is that good?" Cosmo asked. "I'm sorry, on the refugee ship, there were no seasons. My sisters tried to explain spring, summer, autumn, and winter to me, but it was difficult to understand, when the weather was carefully regulated."

Tails felt like crying. For a plant to not know the changing of the seasons…how sad for her! "People try to let go of their problems, let them stay with the old year, and hope for better things in the year that's coming," he told her.

"That sounds wonderful!" Cosmo said. "Maybe a new year will help you. You look better, but I can see there's still sadness in your eyes."

"It's guilt and loss and loneliness," Tails said, holding her tight. "If you're just a dream, I hope I never wake up!"

"Don't say that!" Cosmo told him. "I forbid you to say that! You're a wonderful, generous person, and you have many friends who care about you very much! How's Amy? And Sonic? And Knuckles?"

"Amy's still chasing Sonic," Tails said, laughing. "And Sonic's still running away! But I don't think he's running quite so fast these days. And Knuckles says the Master Emerald should be healed pretty soon."

"That's great!" Cosmo said, smiling brightly at him. "And Cream? How is she?"

"Cream and Cheese and Miss Vanilla are all fine," Tails said. "So are Vector and Espio and Charmy. Rouge doesn't seem to be causing as much trouble these days. And Eggman…well, he's very annoying!" He didn't tell her about her robotic duplicate. He didn't want her to worry.

"Cream is so sweet," Cosmo said. "And she's pretty too, isn't she?"

"Not as beautiful as you are," Tails told her, taking her hands in his.

Cosmo laid her head against his chest fur. "Tails?" she said softly. "I…I can't keep coming to see you like this. Maybe once or twice more…I'm sorry."

Tails gasped. "Then you…you won't be back again after that?!?"

"Please don't cry," Cosmo begged him. "Didn't I promise I'd always love you? That I'd always be there for you? Don't you know that even when you can't see me, I can still watch over you? Now, come on, give me a smile! That's my boy!"

"I don't want to lose you!" Tails said, feeling his eyes tear up, and not caring. "I don't want you to go away from me!"

"I am always with you," Cosmo promised. She hugged him tightly. "Didn't I promise you I would be?"

Tails hugged her back. She was going to be gone for good soon? One or two more visits, and no more?

"We will speak again soon, Tails," Cosmo promised. "Good bye."

Then she was gone.

"Cosmo?" Tails called. There was no answer.

"Cosmo!"

"Tails!" That wasn't Cosmo's voice! It wasn't even a girl's voice.

"Wake up, little buddy!" Tails opened his eyes to find Sonic looking down at him with a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm losing her again!" Tails sobbed.

Sonic sighed. "You were dreaming of Cosmo again, weren't you?"

"But this was so real!" Tails insisted. "She…she said she'll only be able to see me one or two more times, and then…" He threw his arms around his best friend. "I don't want her to go, Sonic! I don't want to _let_ her go! I know I should! I know I'm hurting her, but…"

"It's okay, little buddy," Sonic said, hoping he wasn't lying to him. "It's going to be okay. Now, come on. You shouldn't be alone right now."

"Let me…take care of Cosmo's plant," Tails said. Once again, he realized, Cosmo hadn't told him anything about it. He looked at the flower bud. It was big enough for Cosmo to be curled up inside of it now. That sounded so crazy! But…" Gently, oh so gently, he leaned his ear against it. He wasn't sure, but…was that a heartbeat? If it wasn't Cosmo, then it _was_ someone!

"Whoever you are," Tails whispered, "I love you. Please stay safe, and I'll be back to take care of you again very soon. This I swear to you." He kissed the flower bud, then turned to find Sonic staring at him.

"I'm not crazy, Sonic," Tails said softly. "I guess this isn't Cosmo. But it _is_ a living, intelligent being. And I think it's almost ready to come out."

"Well, it's obviously not a regular plant," Sonic admitted. "I think, whoever it is, you two are going to get along just fine. Now come on, everybody will worry if you don't show up soon."

"Yeah," Tails said. "Okay, let's go."

Cream rushed out to meet them. Actually, she rushed out to meet Tails. She threw her arms around him.

"Tails! Thank you so much for coming!"

"Thank you for inviting me," Tails said.

"Oh, I'd never have a party or special event without you, Tails!" Cream said, holding onto his arm and leading him into her house.

Amy walked over to Sonic. "You see?" she asked softly. "He's not pulling away from her. And they make such a cute couple!"

Sonic shook his head. "Amy, they're friends, and he doesn't want to hurt her feelings. That doesn't mean he has any special feelings for her." He looked around. "Princess Sally didn't come, huh?"

Amy put her arms around him. "Can't you see, Sonic? She isn't interested. Tonight the old year ends, and it's time to let go of old things that have passed on." She looked into his eyes. "Sally has moved on. Cosmo is at peace with her family. You two have to give me and Cream a chance, Sonic. A chance to heal your broken hearts."

"Amy…" Sonic said. He looked away. "Tails isn't ready to move on, Amy. He still loves Cosmo too much to let anyone try to take her place."

"And…what about you, Sonic?" Amy asked, laying her head against his chest.

"I…I don't know," Sonic admitted.

"One minute to go, guys!" Vector called. Eventually went to the television set to watch the golden ball descend over Mobius' Station Square. It had been built over the ruins of Knothole, and named after the city they had spent so much time on. Sonic briefly wondered what Chris was doing. Was he safe? Happy? Or had Eggman lied and killed him, like Tails had suggested? After the horrible stunt he'd tried to pull with Metal Cosmo, Sonic worried about Chris. But there was nothing he could do until the Master Emerald was fully healed. Using fake chaos emeralds was dangerous. Vaguely, Sonic remembered seeing Chris injured, and Cosmo crying. Then everything had gone red until Eggman had talked him down. He could remember only an uncontrollable rage inside of him. A Dark Super Sonic, possibly something that had long lurked in his subconscious. Cold. Hard. Violent. And he had no desire to awaken such a monster ever again.

Tails stared blankly at the tv set. Only one or two more visits? Then no more? How could he go on? But how could he not? "Please, Cosmo, help me! Give me the strength to say good-bye!"

Tails was too upset to see the ball drop. Five…four…three…two…one…Happy New Year!

Cream interrupted his thoughts by blowing a noisemaker in his face. Sonic hit him in the back of the head with another.

"Hey!" Tails cried. "No fair ganging up on me!" Tails surprised everyone, but most of all himself, by going along with their game. It would only be later that he would feel guilty for having fun. It was a slow and painful process, but the wound in his heart was healing. There would always be a scar, but the pain was becoming lighter to bear. After going home, alone in his room, Tails wondered once again if this meant he was losing Cosmo all over again.

January 1:

Tails woke to a knock on the door. He opened it to find Cream, wearing a snowsuit, mittens, hat, scarf, and snowboots. Cheese had a hat and scarf. They were pulling a sled.

"Hi, Tails!" Cream said. "Cheese and I are going sledding. Would you like to join us?"

"Let me get dressed and check on Cosmo," Tails said. It was only when he said her name that he felt depressed. But he forced himself to smile. She'd want him to be happy, and how could he keep disappointing her? "Come in out of the cold, and I'll make you some hot cocoa."

"Oh, I'll do that," Cream assured him. "You take care of Cosmo. You're such a wonderful person, Tails. I hope you realize that."

"Thanks, Cream," Tails said. He put on his snow clothes, then stepped out the back door. He opened the door to the greenhouse very carefully, closing it behind him. He went back to Cosmo's plant. He'd resisted the urge over and over again to x-ray it. He was terrified it would damage the seedrian inside. He didn't know if it was Cosmo or her child, but he no longer feared that it would turn out to be a normal plant. He leaned gently against it. Again, he was sure he heard a heartbeat. The seedrian was almost ready to come out, he was sure of it.

After watering the plant, and making sure the temperature was just right, he gently stroked one of the flower petals. "I think we'll be seeing each other soon now, whoever you are," he said softly.

Tails locked the greenhouse door behind him, then went inside. Cream happily gave him his hot cocoa.

"Marshmallows?" she asked, holding out a bag.

"Thanks," Tails said, taking three. "Maybe in a week or so I'll teach you skiing if you like."

"Sure," Cream said, smiling, even though she was obviously nervous.

"It's okay if you don't want to learn," Tails assured her. "I don't want to force you into doing something you think is scary."

"I'm not scared!" Cream said, blushing a little. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't raise my voice like that. Please forgive me!"

"Sure," Tails said. "The weather report said it'll snow tomorrow, so we'll need to do all the sledding we can today."

"I like it when it snows!" Cream said. "Don't you, Cheese?"

"Chao chao!"

Cream giggled. "That means 'Oh boy, I sure do!'"

Tails shook his head. He'd never understand how Cream heard anything other than "chao chao."

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Cream said, rushing to the door.

"Yo!" Sonic said. "What's up for today, guys?"

"We're going sledding!" Cream said. "Would you like to join us, Mister Sonic?"

"Sure," Sonic said. "It's too cold right now for Egghead. Last time we fought him, he had a cough, anyway, so he's probably sick."

"Good!" Tails said. He would never forgive Eggman for Metal Cosmo. "Let's forget about that idiot today, guys!"

_He's moving on, Mother, Sisters. You see? He doesn't need me anymore._

_You don't sound happy, Cosmo._

_No, I suppose I don't, Galaxina. Do you--do you suppose he is beginning to have feelings for Cream?_

_Does it matter, if you stay here with us?_

_No, I suppose it doesn't. I--should it?_

_Only you can answer that question, Cosmo._

_If I could answer that question, I wouldn't ask, Onee-sama. I wouldn't ask at all._

The worst year of Tails' life is over. What will the new year hold for him?

Three more chapters


	28. Chapter 28: A New Beginning?

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"A New Beginning?"

January 3:

Tails came home from a long, difficult battle with Eggman to find his family waiting for him. Not just his parents and brother. Uncle Merlin was there too. "Uh oh," he thought, "now what?"

"Miles," his father said, "sit down, son." Amadeus Prower was quiet, his voice soft. That was a bad sign.

Tails sat in his favorite chair, wondering what was wrong. His mother looked like she'd been crying. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"We never told you that you had a little sister," his father said. "She was born after we were separated. We lost her when we managed to escape our captors. We…we think we may have found her."

Tails didn't like the way he'd said that. "Simon told me about her," he said. "Is…is there something wrong, Dad? Mom? Is she…"

"No, no of course not, dear!" his mother assured him, "It's just that Nicole has informed us that she may have a lead on what happened to her. Your father and I want to try to find her, but we're worried about you."

"I'm sure Simon and I can take care of Miles until the two of you return," Uncle Merlin said. "And, of course, he has a lot of friends who will be looking in on him from time to time."

"You're…leaving?" Tails asked. It was sad to think they were leaving him again, even for a little while, but on the other hand, it would be a relief not to have to put up with some of their ideas on parenting.

"You should really come with us, baby," his mother said, putting her arms around him. Tails had an image of him following them around in those corduroys going zoo-zup-zoo-zup.

"I'm…sure Uncle Merlin and Simon can take care of me," Tails assured her. "I mean…you won't be gone long, right?"

"We'll be back as soon as we can, sweetie," Rosemary assured him. "You'll eat right, and get plenty of sleep, and no more crazy inventions?"

"No, no more crazy inventions," Tails promised. He had gone over his calculations dozens of times, and still couldn't figure out what had gone wrong with the time machine. He didn't dare risk making another attempt. He knew he couldn't handle watching Cosmo die yet again.

"We'd be going as soon as we finish packing," his father said. "You can still change your mind and come with us."  
"I…I'd love to," Tails said, "but I have a lot that needs to be done. I'm helping Princess Sally build a new school. It's a big project." And, of course, he didn't want to leave Cosmo's plant, now that it seemed so close to the time when it would bloom.

When Tails' parents went to pack, his uncle asked him to step outside for a moment.

"Uncle Merlin?" Tails said, suddenly worried. "What's wrong? There's something they're not saying, isn't there?"

The old fox sighed. "Miles, the reports they received, describe a little fox girl your sister's age. Like you, she has two tails, so it probably is her, but…"

Tails sat down on a chair in his yard. "But what? Are you saying she's…"  
Uncle Merlin leaned heavily on his staff. "She was seriously injured…and they say she's in a coma."

Tails rubbed his head. "So I finally get a little sister, but she's in a coma, and maybe…dead?"

"I think that's why they're not trying to force you to come with them," Merlin said. "They're worried about leaving you, but they're also afraid that finding your little sister dead will be too much of a shock for you."

"I see," Tails said. He bit his lower lip. "If I go, they'll worry about me. If I don't, and she dies, I'll never have a chance to see her. She's four years younger than me, right? I'm eleven now, so she's seven?"

"In March," Uncle Merlin said.

Tails looked into his uncle's eyes. They were old and tired, like Tails' eyes had been looking for months now. The difference, of course, was that Uncle Merlin was old. "So…what should I do, Uncle Merlin?"

"What do you wish to do, Miles?" the old wizard asked. "They've decided to leave it up to you. That's a great step forward for them, Nephew. They're starting to treat you like your own age."

"So I'd better not blow it, huh?" Tails said. He looked down at his feet. His shoes were dusty and badly scuffed. He looked at his gloves. The right index finger was torn. He looked back at Merlin. "I must really be a sight, huh?"

"I think they're beginning to understand that you aren't a baby, and you have a great responsibility to the world, Miles," Uncle Merlin said. "If you wish, I'll advice you, but I won't tell you what you should do."

Tails sighed. He really didn't want to leave Cosmo's plant alone so long, Cream would take care of it, of course. She was a great girl, almost as wonderful as Cosmo. But Tails didn't want to leave her with that sort of responsibility. That was exactly the sort of thing that might make her think she had a chance with him. And he would never forgive himself if something happened to the plant while he was away.

"I think I should stay," he decided at last, getting up. "I'll go and tell them that now. They should get to see her first. If…if she's really bad, I can use the X-Tornado to join them and…say good-bye."

Tails returned to the house to find his parents leaving.  
"Are you coming, precious?" his mother asked.

"I…I think you should see her first by yourselves," Tails said. "Here, I'll get you a special phone. You'll be able to get in touch with me from anywhere on Mobius." Tails ran into his room and opened a passage leading to the elevator that went to the hangar where the Blue Typhoon was kept. He stepped into the elevator, and went down to the hangar. He stopped. He hadn't been here since before he'd gone to the hospital. He went inside and opened a panel in the bridge. He'd left several phones there. He took two, then closed the panel. Briefly, he thought about Cosmo's room. Her scent would be completely gone by now. He sighed. Someday, he knew he'd have to go in there and air it out. But not now. Not anytime soon. He gasped as he suddenly remembered his parents were probably wondering what was keeping him, and raced for the elevator.

"Miles!" his mother cried when he returned. "You're out of breath!" She placed a hand on his forehead. "Are you ill, sweety?"

"Sorry," Tails said, holding up the phones. "Here. If you need to, you can use these to get in touch with me in an instant. Just press the green button." He cringed mentally. Would they think he was getting crazy again, talking about something green?

If they did, neither of them showed any sign. "You made this yourself, dear?" his mother asked, looking at it as if she were afraid it would start shooting at her.

"Of course, he's our boy!" his father said. He turned to Sanguine. "And what have _you_ ever done, boy?"

"Uh…I drew a comic book," Sanguine said. "Would you like to see it?"

Amadeus rolled his eyes. "Try not to drive your little brother up the wall," he said.

Once Amadeus and Rosemary were gone, Uncle Merlin said, "Miles, are you quite certain you'll be all right? I know you enjoy privacy, and I don't want to get in your way."

"You wouldn't be getting in my way, Uncle Merlin," Tails assured the old wizard. "I'm doing a lot better, honest I am, but I'm also realizing I can't be a shut in. A hermit life is no way to live."

"Ouch," Uncle Merlin said. "I needed that, my boy!"

Tails gasped. "No, no, that's not what I meant! I, uh…"

"It's all right," the old fox said, patting Tails on the shoulder. "Perhaps it runs in the family."

"What does?" Sanguine asked. "Noses? Get it, noses run?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You should try to show more respect to your elders, Simon."

"Hey, I have a lot of respect for you, Unc," Sanguine said, going into the house. "I hope _I_ look that good when _I'm _two hundred."

"Simon!" Tails cried.  
"Oh, let him go," Merlin said. "I want to talk to you alone, anyway, Miles. Will you walk with me?"

"Sure, Uncle Merlin," Tails said, wondering what the old fox wanted.

They walked down Tails' driveway. He'd just used a device he'd invented to blow the snow onto his lawn, but from the looks of the sky, more snow would be coming soon. They passed Tails' mailbox. Except on the occasions when Sonic felt like delivering mail at three or four hundred miles an hour, none ever got delivered, and he hadn't been by that day, so Tails didn't bother to look. Besides, he never got anything but junk mail and an occasional magazine.

"Miles," Uncle Merlin said at last, "I didn't say anything to your parents, because I knew they needed to go and see if that poor little girl is your sister, but…"

"But what?" Tails asked, stepping around a pothole he'd just fallen into yesterday. Covered with snow, it was impossible to know it was there until it was too late if you weren't looking for it. He made a mental note to fix it later that day.

"Miles," Uncle Merlin said, "I have found some research that might tell us if it is possible for your friend to return to you, but I need to go out on the field for awhile to make certain."

"Then…you're leaving too?" Tails asked. He'd felt stifled for months, now he was starting to feel abandoned again.

"You could come with me," Merlin suggested. Tails realized suddenly the old fox was leaning heavily on his staff.

"I…could I have a little time to think about it, Uncle?" Tails asked, taking his hand to steady him.

"Do you still wish to know?" Merlin asked Tails, looking into his eyes. Tails had the odd feeling the old fox was looking right into his soul and reading his mind.

Tails looked away. "She…she's at peace, Uncle. She doesn't want to come back. And…and I don't, I won't try to force her!" He bit his lower lip hard. "I…I have to honor her wishes. I have to let her go. But…but I don't know if I can! If I'm strong enough!"

The old fox wrapped his arms around him. Tails realized then how thin, how fragile, he was. "He'll be leaving me too, some day," Tails said to himself. He forced that thought away.

"I still have the spell, to help you forget her," Uncle Merlin suggested softly.

"No!" Tails cried. A badger, pushing her baby in a stroller, stared at him, then quickly turned around and hurried off. "I'm sorry," Tails said. "No. I don't want to forget her. I want to move on, while still paying honor to her memory. But I don't know how!"

"Have you ever properly said good-bye to her?" Uncle Merlin asked him.

"You mean--a funeral?" Tails asked. He shook his head. "No, I could never deal with that before. I'm not sure I'm strong enough for it now. How _do_ I…say good-bye?"

"You accept that what you had was special, and that you will always love her, but you go back to your life again," the old fox said. "Now, please, could you help me back? I'm afraid I'm just not as young as I used to be."

"Of course," Tails said, taking his uncle's arm. They walked on in silence for awhile. Finally, Tails asked, "What's it like…to grow old?"

The old fox laughed. "I wouldn't know," he said. "In my mind, I'm still young. It's only that my body keeps disagreeing with it!"

"And that…doesn't bother you?" Tails asked.  
"What will be, will be," Merlin said, "we accept these things, because we must. But we don't have to let them control us."

When they reached Tails' home, the old wizard sat down at Tails' easy chair. "I'll be leaving in a few days," Merlin said. "You can give me your answer then, Nephew."  
"Sure," Tails said. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"Don't worry about me," Merlin said. "I'm not dead yet!"

January 10:

"Hey, little buddy!" Sonic said, showing up suddenly on Tails' front door. "How 'bout going on a walk?" The ground was covered with snow, making running dangerous.

"Okay, sure," Tails said, "let me just check on Cosmo's plant and get my scarf and boots." Sonic smiled as Tails turned away. The look of pain in his eyes was softening. Tails seemed to actually be happy to walk with him.

"So," Sonic said, "what have you been up to lately?"  
"Well, I've been working on a device that should tell me what sort of minerals are in the water," Tails said. "I'm also trying to develop a stun ray that won't damage its target's nervous system."

"Oh?" Sonic said. "Well, that sounds interesting!"

"Aw, come on, Sonic," Tails assured him, "you don't have to act like you want to know more. I'm just talking techno babble. I do that sometimes."

"Yeah," Sonic said to himself, "but you haven't been doing much of that since Cosmo died. Good to see a smile that doesn't looked forced for a change too." Out loud, he said, "I saw you teaching Cream skiing yesterday again. How's she doing?"

"Well, she's still on the bunny slope, ha ha," Tails said, "but she's improving. Of course, she wants to do everything that Amy does."

Sonic chuckled. "Yeah, Amy's just sure she can catch me on skis in the snow some day! You know, if you tell her, I'll deny it, but sometimes I really get a kick out of her antics!"

"Yeah," Tails said. "She can be funny when she's not being scary."

They came to the beach and walked along the sand. Sonic kept watching Tails' face while pretending he wasn't. The fox was no longer looking sad and pathetic. Thoughtful, yes. No doubt he was still thinking about Cosmo, but there were no tears in his eyes.

"I know what you're doing, Sonic," Tails said. "The pain's still there, but it's not taking over me like it was. It hurts, but I'm dealing with it. And I never thought I could."

"That's great to hear, little buddy," Sonic said. "So, you and me cool?"

Tails shook his head. "Sonic, you have to understand, I didn't know what I was doing back then. It was like I was trapped in a long, dark tunnel, and a train was bearing down on me. There was no way of escaping from it. The only way out was to let the train run over me. It did, and I've been picking up the pieces ever since. But I'm okay now, honest I am."

"I'm really glad to hear that, Tails," Sonic said. "Really glad."

"So…I've been thinking of taking training," Tails said. "Maybe learn some moves from Knuckles. I want to be more able to hold my own in a fight."

"You already contribute plenty with your brain, little buddy," Sonic assured him. "You don't have to outfight your opponents, you can outthink 'em!"

"Yeah, maybe, but I don't like just standing around making calculations while everybody else fights. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I do."

"Well, I can teach you some fighting techniques," Sonic said. "But I really don't think you need them."

"Maybe," Tails said. He didn't explain that he still felt unable to help others. Cosmo had died while he stared blankly at where he had last seen her alive, his brain refusing to work right. He couldn't have anyone else's death on his conscious. He couldn't help Cosmo, but if he could Sonic or Amy or Cream, then maybe the feeling of helplessness would go away.

"Tails? You with me, little buddy?" Sonic was staring at him, looking very concerned.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Sonic," Tails said. "I was just…"

"It's okay," Sonic said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

Tails sighed. "I…I just want to do right, big buddy. I want everybody to be proud of me. You, my parents, Uncle Merlin…and most of all Cosmo."

"We already are," Sonic assured him. "We already are."

They walked along in silence for awhile. Finally, Tails said, "Sonic? Do you remember how it was before? I mean, back when Nikki Parlouzer was just an ordinary kid who went to school and got chased by the girl down the street?"

"Sure," Sonic said. "The girl down the street is still chasing me! Only now she's got a big hammer!"

"I can't really remember my life before all this craziness started," Tails said. "My life started really when I met you and we started our adventures. Before that, it's so fuzzy. Maybe I just don't want to remember. My life was pretty bad before that." He looked up at Sonic. "Thank you."

"For what?" Sonic asked.

"For being my friend," Tails said. "I know this kind of talk embarrasses you, but I think I would have died long before we ever went to Earth if I hadn't met you."

"Tails…" Sonic said, looking worried.

"Sorry, but I lost out on the chance to tell Cosmo how I really felt about her," Tails said softly. "I don't want to leave anything I feel unsaid to anyone again. Cosmo was so full of life, and now she's gone. It could happen to anyone at anytime. Please don't be mad at me, but…" Tails suddenly put his arms around Sonic. "I love you, big brother!"

"Uh…you too, little brother," Sonic said, patting him on the back.

"Sorry!" Tails said, pulling away. "Let's just forget that, okay?"  
"Deal," Sonic said.

It started to snow. "Looks like another storm is coming," Tails said.

"Worried about your parents?" Sonic asked as they started back. "Or your Uncle Merlin?"

"Not really," Tails told him. Uncle Merlin had just left yesterday. Now Tails was alone in his home except for his brother, who Tails had finally decided wasn't really that bad. "They're pretty tough. Not too many people mess with the Prowers!"  
"Right on!" Sonic said. "So, wanna watch some tv?"  
"Well, there's nothing much on right now," Tails said. "We could play video games, though. If you don't mind me beating you, that is!"

"In your dreams, buddy!" Sonic said. "Nobody has the reflexes of Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Oh, a challenge!" Tails said. "You're on!"

January 16:

"Cream!" Amy yelled, ushering her best friend inside her house. "What are you doing here? It's snowing!"  
"It hadn't started when I left home," Cream said, shaking off the snow. "I wanted to talk to you, Amy."

Amy unwound Cream's scarf for her, and hung it by the fire. "Is it about Tails?" she asked, grinning. "You really like him, don't you?"

"Yeah," Cream said, as Amy helped her out of her coat. "But I'm still stuck in the friend/little sister zone. He'll talk to me about things that are bothering him, but every time I hug him, he pushes me away. Not mean about, like Sonic sometimes pushes you, but…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Amy agreed as she pulled off Cream's snow boots. "How many sweaters are you wearing?"  
"Three," Cream said, pulling one over her head. "I'm burning up in here! But it shows my mom cares about me, so I don't mind."  
"If you've changed your mind about my helping you get Tails," Amy said, bringing Cream some hot cocoa, "I'll be glad to do whatever I can for you."

"No, I think I should just wait awhile," Cream said, helping Cheese out of his own three sweaters. "Tails is getting happier, so I think his heart is starting to mend. I don't want to scare him away, like…uh…"  
Amy sighed and sat down on her couch. "I know what you mean. Some days Sonic just looks at me and starts running! I try and I try and I try, but he's just not coming around."

"Well, the princess doesn't seem to like him very much any more," Cream said, sitting on the other end of the couch and taking a sip of her cocoa. "I think he needs time to hear too, Amy."

"Wow," Amy said, "my baby sister giving me advice on men! You're more mature than I am, Cream!"

"I don't know about that," Cream said, taking another sip. "But Tails seems to be more mature than Mister Sonic. Of course, Tails is already smarter than any grown up. It's wonderful, but sometimes, it's a little scary. I mean, just how smart he is. He feels things more than most people too. Have you noticed, when he gets scared or confused, he has trouble thinking straight?"

"Yeah, when Cosmo merged with that monster, he just froze," Amy remembered. "Then he just asked us all to leave him alone."

"I think that was when I first realized how wonderful he was," Cream said, her eyes dreamy. "He wanted to say good-bye to her. That he loved her. The next time I saw him, Amy, he was so sad. I looked at his face, and I just wanted to hold him and…and kiss his tears away. But…but I feel like a traitor." She bowed her head.

Amy stared at her. "What? Why would you think that, Cream?"

Cream sighed. "Cosmo was my friend. And…and she was…d-dead. And…and I was thinking about…about kissing the boy she loved!" She started crying. "Am I turning into a bad person, Amy? For wanting to be with Tails now?"

Amy set down her cup of cocoa on her coffee table, then took Cream's and set it down next to it. Then she put her arms around her best friend. "No, honey. You're not doing anything wrong. Cosmo wanted Tails to be happy more than anything. Please don't cry. It's gonna be okay!"

"I…I sure hope so, Amy!" Cream sobbed, leaning her head against the hedgehog's shoulder. "I sure hope so!"

January 20:

Tails put on his best suit. It was time for the opening of the Cosmo Memorial Garden, and the unveiling of Cosmo's statue. Sonic had made arrangements with the sculptor while Tails had been in the hospital. She had completed it two days ago, and Sonic, Knuckles and Mighty had set it up in the park. Tails hadn't looked at it yet.

There was a knock on the door. He opened it to find Cream in a blue dress. Cheese was wearing a little suit. Cream put her arms around him.

"Hi, Tails!" she said, beaming at him. "Ready to go?"

"Sure," Tails said. "Just let me check on Cosmo's plant."

Cream and Cheese followed Tails to the greenhouse.

"It's great to see so many flowers blooming this time of year!" Cream said. "It's so colorful and fragrant in here, and so cold and gray outside. I like winter, but it's kind of sad, huh?"

"There's good and bad in everything," Tails told her. They looked at Cosmo's plant.

"Wow, it's really big now!" Cream said. "It'll be ready to open soon, I'll bet!"

"Yeah, I think so too," Tails said. "So, how's your mother?"

"Oh, she's fine," Cream said. "She's even speaking to Mister Vector again."

"Oh? I'm surprised she forgave him after what he did to Amy and me."

"Yeah," Cream said as they left the greenhouse. "I…I think maybe she might…you know…like him."  
Tails thought she sounded a little unhappy about that. "Does it bother you?" he asked as they started towards city hall. "Your mother liking Vector?"

"I don't know," she said. "I guess I…I guess I'm still hoping my daddy will come home some day." She sighed. She kicked a pebble. "I know I shouldn't, but…"  
"Never give up hope, Cream," Tails told her. "You can never tell."

"No," Cream said, taking his arm. "I guess you never can!"

There was a large audience waiting. The last time Tails had been here, just after their return from space, he had been too depressed to think about people staring at him. Now he suddenly felt very embarrassed to realize he was being stared at. He'd always preferred to stay in Sonic's shadow. Sonic was the hero, and he enjoyed people making a big deal over him. Tails liked sitting in the background and not being noticed.

"Hi, Tails!" Amy said, hugging him.

"Hi, Amy," Tails said, looking around. Sonic was nowhere to be seen.

Amy made a face. "Can you believe the fastest thing alive is late?" she asked. "That man! Sometimes I wonder why I even bother!"

"So you're giving up on him?" Tails kidded.

"What?!?" Amy screeched. "No way! What are you, cra…" She gasped. "Oh. Oh ,Tails, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's okay," Tails said. "Maybe I was a little off, but I'm doing a lot better these days."

"Hey, Tails! How are you doing?" Tails looked up at Rotor.

"Okay," Tails said. "How are you, doing? Sorry if I was kind of rude when I got back from space."

"Don't worry about it, Tails," Rotor assured him. "Just so long as you're okay."

"Well," Tails admitted, "I've been better, but I've sure been a whole lot worse!"

There was a sudden breeze. "Oh, there he is!" Tails said. "Hi, Sonic!"

"Hi, guys!" Sonic said, giving them a thumbs-up. "Missed me?"

Amy glomped him. "Just me!" she sang. "But I didn't miss you this time! Hee hee hee hee hee!"

"Uh…creepy, insane laughter isn't the best way to win a guy over, Ames," Sonic muttered.

"What was that?!" Amy asked, her lips smiling but her eyes frowning.

"I don't know," Sonic told her quickly, taking a step back, "I wasn't listening!"

"That's more like it!" Amy said. "So, after we leave here, where are you taking me?"

"Well, I was planning to go jogging, actually," Sonic said. "You couldn't keep up."

"Not today, you two, please!" Tails said. "At least wait until after the ceremony."

"Sorry, buddy," Sonic said.

"Right, sorry, Tails," Amy said. She grinned at Sonic. "I'll see you later, cutie!"

"Then she wonders why I run from her," Sonic muttered. "Well, let's go, little buddy."

"I'm sorry the sculptor couldn't be here," Tails said.

"She doesn't do well with crowds," Sonic said. "In fact, she hid when I went to get the statue, and called to me from the next room to take it."  
"That's so sad," Tails said. "What's she like?"  
"Really short, blonde, has this weird guy that keeps asking her to pose as some kind of elf creature under a big leaf so he can take her picture," Sonic said.  
"You're…kidding!" Tails said.

Tails and Sonic went on to talk to Knuckles, Vanilla, and the Chaotix. Sonic's parents hadn't made it, but his sister was there.

"Hey, Tails," Anita said. "still inventing things?"

"Sure," Tails said, "still playing keyboards?"

"Only every day," Anita said. She was an expert piano player.

"We jam sometimes," Sonic said. "But I can't play the guitar as much as I used to. Too much Eggman and other nonsense."  
"I'd join you guys," Tails said, "but I can't find my tuba."

The hedgehog siblings looked at each other. Tails was horrible on the tuba, but no one had ever had the heart to tell him. Sonic had thrown it away one day while Tails was out.

"Uh…have you ever thought about trying another instrument?" Anita suggested. "Maybe a flute or harmonica?"

"No," Tails said. "Should I?"

"Uh…aren't you busy enough already with your work?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, I can always find time to do something new," Tails said. "I get bored easily, and my mind rambles, and I don't really need that."

The ceremony began. This time, Tails was able to get a grip on himself and step up to the microphone. He felt his eyes grow misty, but he blinked back the tears, and cleared his voice.

"Good morning, everyone," he said into the mike. "As soon of you already know, my name is Miles Prower, and I'm here to dedicate this new me-memorial garden." He bit his lip. "Last year, Mobius was attacked by a menace far worse than the madman, Doctor Eggman. The Metarex." A hologram of Dark Oak appeared. Tails forced himself not to look at it. His anger and hatred towards the Metarex emperor was still burning bright and hot, and he didn't want to lose it in front of so many people. "Despite all of our best efforts, the combined power of Knuckles, the guardian of the Master Emerald of Angel Island, and our national hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dark Oak would have destroyed our world and our galaxy, perhaps more, if not for the heroic sacrifice of…of someone who should never have been forced to fight in the first place." The hologram of Dark Oak was replaced with one of Cosmo. Again, Tails forced himself not to look. Seeing her standing there like that would remind him of the days when he imagined he saw her, and he never wanted to go back to that horrible period in his life.

"Cosmo of Planet Greengate lost her family and friends to the Metarex. She alone survived to continue the fight against Dark Oak. Crashing onto our world during a meteor shower, Cosmo begged me and my friends to take her to the legendary hero who could control the light. This, of course, was my best friend, Sonic the Hedgehog!" The crowd applauded as Sonic stepped up to the mike. Tails returned to his seat. He realized it hadn't been as painful as he'd feared.

"How can I add to that?" Sonic asked. "Could I have saved the day without Cosmo's noble sacrifice? Maybe. But then _she'd _be standing here today speaking about _my_ memorial. The power of the chaos emeralds may increase my strength and speed ten thousand times, but there's always the possibility that the energies will consume my body. I'm sure Tails could tell you exactly what the chance of my dying from becoming Super Sonic is, but I'd really rather not know. Sometimes I think I can only do the heroic but dangerous things I do every day by not understanding exactly how dangerous they are!"

Knuckles laughed. Amy hit him with her elbow. "Quiet!" she hissed. "This is a serious and sacred event! Show a little class or I'll beat some into you!"

Sonic called Amy, then Knuckles, and finally Cream to say a few things about Cosmo. Tails noticed Rouge wasn't there. Was it that she didn't want to have any trouble with him, or did she just not care?

At last the moment came for Tails to unveil the statue. He was very nervous. If it didn't look that much like Cosmo, he was afraid he might make a scene. But if it looked too much like her…He sighed as he approached the mike again.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Tails said, softly. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me! Ladies and gentlemen…I give you…our hero!" Tails pulled off the sheet. And stared.

It was Cosmo. Exactly as she had looked in life. Perfect in every detail. Tails felt his eyes get misty. If the statue had been painted realistically, it probably would have broken his heart. He looked at Sonic, motioned that he couldn't talk any more, then went to sit down. Cream reached out and patted him on the arm. "It's okay," she said over the sound of the applause. "You're gonna be okay, Tails!"

Tails squeezed her hand, looking at Cream because looking at the statue was painful. "Thank you, Cream," he said. "Thank you for being there for me."

"Always," Cream promised. "I will always be there for you, Tails!"

After the ceremony, Cream walked Tails home. They were quiet most of the way. Finally, Cream said softly, "Tails? Are you going to be all right?" She placed her hand in his.

Tails didn't answer at first. Then he smiled sadly at her. "I think so," he said, squeezing her hand. "Thank you, Cream."

Cream's heart sang. "You're very welcome, Tails!"

January 28:

Tails found himself once again in the grassy meadow. He walked past flowers of every color. Then he saw a Seedrian girl, not Cosmo, or Galaxina. This one had purple hair in two pony tails and bangs that covered her eyes.

"Hello, furry animal boy!" she said, grinning. "Are you here to see my little sister? Maybe you can talk to her, she won't listen to me!"

"Uh…hi," Tails said. "Um…okay?" He wondered what she was talking about. That grin of hers looked like trouble. A practical joker? What was it Cosmo had told him about her sisters? Galaxina was the oldest and most responsible, Sunflower was a big lovable teddy bear, Starla, her sister-in-law was serious, and…Nova. Yes, Nova used to talk her into doing things that got them both in trouble. Why had she suddenly appeared to him? He'd never seen her before. Of course, he'd only seen Galaxina once.

"Are you two going to hug and kiss?" Nova asked.

Tails sputtered. "Wha…huh?"

Nova giggled. "I'm guessing she likes you because you make her laugh!" she said. "Well, here she comes, bye bye!" Nova walked away.

Cosmo came over to Tails. "Tails? I've been waiting for you by the bridge." She turned and noticed her sister. "Why was Nova here?" She looked back at Tails. "What did she say to you?!?"

"Uh…just that you won't listen to her," Tails admitted. "What was she telling you?"

"Um…nothing," Cosmo said quickly. "I'm so happy to see you again, Tails!" She put her arms around him. Tails knew that this was only a dream, but he was sure that he could feel and smell her. He'd never had such realistic dreams before.

"I'm really glad to see you too," Tails said. "I've missed you."

"I've been watching you," Cosmo said, as they started walking. "You've become very close to Cream."

Tails gasped. "Cosmo! I…Cream is just my friend. I love you!"

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "But Cream can be with you all the time," Cosmo said sadly.

"I…I wish I could find a way to bring us together!" Tails said. "These visits are so nice, but…but I want you by my side all of the time."

"I am," Cosmo promised him. "I will always be by your side, Tails. Now come, let's not dwell on…on the future. Let's concentrate on the present."

They reached the bridge, and started to cross it. Halfway across, Cosmo said, "Tails? When you were on Chris' world, you had troubles, didn't you?"  
"Well, Eggman's trouble on any world," Tails said.

"I mean…some of the people on Chris' planet…they stared at you?" Cosmo insisted. "Made you feel strange? At least, that's what Amy told me."  
Tails brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Cosmo…we've talked about this before. I don't care if anyone has trouble with you being…different. Sonic, Amy, Cream, Knuckles, Miss Vanilla, they all accepted you." He held her close. "I'm sorry. Some people _can_ be cruel. But you can't worry that people will treat you badly because you're not just like them. Look at me. I have two tails. Some people don't like that, but I don't care." He didn't mention Debbie or Heather. They had been tormented until they had developed mental problems. He didn't want her to ever know that sort of thing could happen.

"I'm not worried about myself," Cosmo said. "But what about…"  
"What about what?" Tails asked. He looked at her face. Was she blushing?

"Nothing," Cosmo said quickly, turning away from him. "Just…thinking out loud." They reached the end of the bridge. There was a huge tree, stretching up higher than Tails could see. There was a swing hanging from a branch.

"Would you like me to push you on that swing?" Tails asked.

"I'd love it!" Cosmo said. She started to sit down on the swing, but Tails lifted her off her feet and set her down gently on it. "Thank you! You're such a gentleman!" She flashed him a smile that made him feel like dancing. He stepped behind her and gave her a gentle push. She rose up a little, then came back down.

"Anything for you, my lady," Tails said, pushing her again.

"You honor me, good sir!" Cosmo said. "Could you push a little harder, please?"

"Of course," Tails said. Since he was behind her, he couldn't see her face, but her mannerisms told him she was enjoying herself. "This is all I ever wanted in life," he said to himself. "Who decided it was too much?"

"Higher, Tails!" Cosmo cried, giggling. "Higher!" Tails watched her sail over his head then return to him. "Look, Tails! I'm flying! Wee!"

Tails laughed with her. She was so graceful. And so seemingly full of life, it was difficult to accept that she was dead.

"Higher!" Cosmo cried. "Higher!"

"Uh…I think you're going high enough," Tails said. She was rising more than twice his height in the air.

"Higher!" Cosmo insisted. "Throw me up in the air! Like they did on planet Zecco! I didn't like it then, but now…yay!"

Tails pushed her a little higher. To his shock, she leaped from the swing. "Catch me, Tails!" she called, still laughing. Tails threw himself over the swing and caught her.

"What are you trying to do, hurt yourself?" Tails cried. Then he realized what he'd just said. He buried his face in her hair. "I…I'm sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry," Cosmo said, kissing his cheek. "I should have reminded you that it's impossible to get hurt here. The swing hit you on the head, but you didn't even notice, did you?"

"Huh?" Tails said, rubbing his head as he looked back at the still moving swing. "No. I didn't!"

"I'm so sorry I worried you!" Cosmo said, snuggling up to him. "I'm so used to being here, I forgot the living wouldn't understand."  
Tails felt his heart grow cold. She had called him "the living." Already, he'd forgotten once again that she wasn't. But she was happy here. It didn't bother her that she was dead. He held her close and kissed her forehead. "I'm being so selfish," he said to himself. "I keep calling her back, when she wants to move forward. I guess…I guess I need to do that too."

"Cosmo…" he said softly. "Am I bothering you by coming here?"

Cosmo gasped. "No, Tails!" She laid her head against his chest. "You could never cause me any bother! Please don't ever think that! I enjoy seeing you as much as you enjoy seeing me. It's just…"

Tails waited for her to finish her sentence. When she didn't he asked, "It's just what?"

"I…I don't want to hurt you," she said softly. "I don't want to make you cry ever again."

"How could you do that?" Tails asked her, gently stroking her hair. "Please, Cosmo, don't shut me out. Let me know what's upsetting you and I'll try to fix it the best I can."

Cosmo was silent for awhile. Then she rubbed her face against his chest hair. "You're so fuzzy," she said softly, changing the subject. Tails decided not to press her to answer him. He saw so little of her, he didn't want to waste a moment thinking of anything but the beautiful girl in his arms.

All too soon, Cosmo pulled away from him. "You need to go back now, Tails," she said. "I'll see you again soon. But…"

"But…but what?" Tails asked her, suddenly afraid he knew what she was going to say.

"I can't keep coming to you, Tails," she said sadly. "There are rules. I…I think we'll have to stop meeting this way very soon now. I'm so sorry!"

Tails' heart ached. So she was leaving him again, even here, even in this way. "You're…you're not going to come back anyway?" he asked fearfully.

"I'll do the best I possibly can," she promised him. "But never doubt my feelings." She kissed him, then moved away. Tails saw her begin to fade.

"Cosmo!" Tails cried. "I love you! I'll love you until I die!"

"I love you as well, Tails!" Cosmo called, no longer visible. "But don't say until you die! Because love is stronger than death, and I know that I'll love you far beyond death! Forever!"

Then she was gone. Tails looked around his darkened room, sighed, then tried to go back to sleep.

"Soon she'll leave me!" Tails thought. "And I'll have lost her again! For good!" It was a long, sleepless night. But Tails found himself still able to face the next day. After all, wasn't that what she wanted for him?

January 31:

"Well," Tails said to himself, "the first month of this year is over. It sure went fast! I wonder what February will bring?"

Tails had no idea how hectic the next month would be.

"So are we agreed?" Fiona demanded, leaning on her table.

"Sure," Ginger said, leaning back on the fox's chair. "The next time dear sweet Miles goes for a little walk on the beach, he won't be alone."

"It's such a pity, isn't it?" Fiona asked, drinking her coffee. "He's such a nice boy, after all."

"Yes, he is," Ginger said, finishing her own coffee. "Such a shame, don't you think, what's in his near future?" She held out her cup.

Fiona grinned, and poured the monkey some more coffee. "Yes, it is. But I'm afraid that poor Tails is going to have a bad accident," the vixen said, refilling her own cup. "A _very_ bad accident!"

They looked at each other, and laughed.

_Cosmo?_

_Yes, Mother?  
I'm sorry, but…the next time you see your boy must be the last._

_You mean…I'll only be able to see him one more time? But…how sad!_

_There is another way, Cosmo…_

_Yes, I know, onee-sama, but…but…_

_But what, little sister?_

_I don't know! I just don't know!_

Two more chapters Next time, Cosmo's funeral, Fiona and Ginger make their move, and Tails' last ghostly visit from Cosmo. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like changed about this chapter. Thank you.


	29. Chapter 29: Saying GoodBye

Only one more chapter after this, and it's really an epilogue. I'd like to thank everyone for the more than 100 reviews and over 10,000 hits this story has received. I hope you won't be disappointed by the end of the story, and will stay around for the sequel, coming soon.

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Saying Good-Bye"

February 1:

The next morning, Tails got up to find his brother packing.

"Simon?" he said, stunned. "You're…you're leaving?"  
"Oh, hi, Miles," Sanguine said. "Yeah, I'll be gone for awhile. Oh, don't worry, I'll be coming back sooner than you think."

"I see," Tails said. He sighed. So much for his hope that the two of them might actually become like brothers at last.

"Miles?" his brother said, locking his trunk. "You sure you'll be okay? I mean, you've got a lot of friends to look out for you. Sonic, Amy, Knuckles…Cream."

"Don't you start on Cream!" Tails said. "It's bad enough that she's making eyes at me, and Amy's been trying to push us together."

"She's a great girl, bro," Sanguine said. "And she really cares about you."

"I'm not in love with Cream," Tails insisted. "Will you at least stay for breakfast?"  
"I never say no to a free meal," Sanguine said.

Tails shook his head as he prepared breakfast. He'd really thought that this time they were starting to connect. Well, if his brother didn't need Tails, then Tails didn't need him. He wasn't going to cry this time.

"Miles," Sanguine said while they were eating, "you're not mad at me for going, are you?"

"Well…Mom and Dad expect you to be here when they get back," Tails said. "They should be back next week, if Holly is feeling better."

"Mom says she's acting kind of strange," Sanguine said. "You think she got, you know, some kind of head problem from being in that coma?"

Tails shook his head. "I don't know. Nobody seems to know where she came from, so we have no way of knowing if she was already like that or not. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with daydreaming. Cosmo did that all the time. And we don't know what Holly's been through, or how she ended up where she was found. But the DNA test showed positive she's our sister."

They didn't say much after that. Too soon, it seemed, Sanguine was wheeling his cart out the front door, the same way he had wheeled it in months ago.

"Don't worry, Miles," Sanguine said, shaking his hand. "I'm like a bad penny. I'll be back before you know it. Bye!"

"Yeah," Tails said. "Bye, Simon."

Tails watched his brother walk away, then turned and went back into his house. He sighed, then went to the greenhouse. He walked over to Cosmo's plant and dropped to his knees.

"Well, Cosmo," he said softly. "My family's gone and left me again. Maybe I'd've been better able to cope with your loss, if I'd had a more stable life before meeting you." He stroked a petal. Again, he felt a heartbeat. It was getting stronger. "You're almost ready, aren't you?" he asked. "I'll see you soon. Whoever you are."

Tails left the greenhouse to find Cream and Cheese coming towards his home. Cream had a basket of food. Tails rubbed at his eyes, then smiled and went to greet them. Cream's face lit up as she saw him.

"Hi, Tails!" she called. "We've got a lot of food for you and your brother!"

"I'm afraid you just missed him," Tails said, "but come on inside. I'll make some tea."

"Oh, your brother's gone?" Cream said. "When will he be back?"

Tails sighed. "No idea," he admitted. "Knowing Simon, it could be days or months."

"Well then, Cheese and I will just have to start coming and seeing you more often, won't we, Cheese?"

"Chao chao!" Cheese called. "I mean yes!"

"You're doing good, Cheese!" Tails said, leading them into his house. Cream put her arm around Tails and leaned her head against his shoulder. Tails patted her head. The smile she gave him nearly broke his heart, because he realized how easily he could break hers.

February 2:

The next day was Knuckles' birthday. Tails actually found himself looking forward to it. He hadn't paid much attention to any of his friends' birthdays since they'd returned from space. She hadn't said anything, but he was pretty sure that Cream had been disappointed on hers. Tails hadn't wanted to get too close to her because he didn't want to lead her on.

"It's happening," he realized. "I'm starting to avoid Cream, the same way Sonic avoids Amy. And I never wanted to do that to her."

Tails suddenly felt two arms wrap around him. He sighed. "Hello, Cream."

"Hi, Tails," Cream said, hugging him. "How are you today?"

Tails gently pulled free of her. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"Great!" Cream said, taking his hand. "I love parties!"

It was no surprise to Tails that Rouge was there. Unfortunately, so was Julie-Su. The two girls were sitting on opposite sides of Knuckles' living room. Knuckles was in the kitchen, looking like he had a severe headache. Tails sighed and walked over to him.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Tails asked quietly.

Knuckles looked up. "I've been better," he admitted. "I knew it was a mistake to invite both of them, but…how am I supposed to pick just one? I mean, Julie-Su is a great person to talk to, and Rouge has…er…"

"I get the idea," Tails said, remembering the tournament she'd beaten him in with a kiss. "Sorry to see that kind of thing happen on your birthday."

"You're not still mad at me?" Knuckles asked. "Honest, Tails, I wasn't suggesting that surgery on Cosmo. I was just listing our options."

"I know," Tails said. "I'm sorry. I realized that awhile ago, but it was difficult talking to you about it. I really let you have it last year. And I shouldn't have. I kind of went crazy that day. I'm still trying to get back from it."

"I should have done more!" Knuckles said, hitting the countertop. It shook violently. "I should have done something!"

"That's what I kept telling myself," Tails assured him. "Over and over, I kept saying 'I should have done something! I should have tried harder! What good is it to be smart if you can't think of a way to save the one you love. I don't know. Maybe we could have done something if we'd known about the Metarex sooner, or if Eggman had helped us earlier, or…I don't know."

"I heard about that Cosmo robot," Knuckles said, cleaning the countertop he'd just pounded. "That sick piece of garbage! I can't believe he'd do that to you!"

"Yeah, I'd forgotten, while fighting the Metarex, just how twisted Eggman is," Tails said. "I won't forgive him for that! But I won't let it ruin my life. I put it on hold for a long time, and…and now I'm hoping to get it back online again. Yes, I was very angry at you for a long time, Knuckles. But you tried to save Cosmo. I remember you screaming at me to do something, anything else. I was just too caught up in what was happening to pay attention." He didn't mention that he actually hadn't heard Knuckles and Amy yell at him to save Cosmo somehow until he'd relived it. No one believed his time machine had worked, even partially, and sometimes Tails wondered if he'd imagined it too.

Knuckles looked surprised, then embarrassed. He looked away. "Yeah, well…she was a really nice kid, Tails. Maybe if I could have transformed too, we could have done something. So she could have come back with us."

"It's strange, isn't it?" Tails said. "You're the only one that can get the Master Emerald working at full power, but only Sonic and Shadow can transform. I wonder why?"

Knuckles sighed. "Why? Unpure thoughts. I love two women, that's why. I'm unworthy of the power."

"Uh…okay," Tails said. "Maybe you need to make a decision soon."

"Yeah, maybe you do too," Knuckles said, looking behind Tails. Tails turned to see Cream standing in the doorway.

"Come on!" she called. "Everybody's waiting for the birthday boy!"

"I'm no boy," Knuckles said. "I'm nineteen. Next year I'll be of age, but…but I don't feel any different." "You're lucky," Tails said, heading for the living room and the party. "I'm only eleven, and I feel very different from how I felt when I turned ten."

Knuckles' party went fairly smoothly. The only problem happened near the end.

"Here, Knuckles, open my present!" Julie-Su said, placing a brightly wrapped package in his hands.

Rouge pushed her own package in Knuckles' face. "No, open mine first!"

"He doesn't want anything stolen, you cat burglar!" Julie-Su snarled.

"Strong words from somebody who's been to jail for fighting against the king," Rouge snarled back.

"Uh…anybody like some cake?" Knuckles asked nervously.

"I'll give everybody a piece if you promise not to fight!" Cream said.

"Yeah!" Amy said, pico-pico hammer suddenly in hand. "Knock it off you two!"

"Oh, wow, look at the time!" Sonic said, pretending to look at his watch, which he hadn't brought with him. "I gotta be…" Amy grabbed him by a quill and pulled him back. "…staying right here!"

Everyone suddenly stopped as they heard a strange noise come from Tails. The fox had turned away from them.

"Tails?" Sonic said, worried. "You okay, little buddy?"

"We didn't mean to upset you!" Knuckles said.

"We're not really fighting, this is just a thing we do," Rouge said, causing Knuckles and Julie-Su to stare at her.

Tails laughed. "You guys! You crack me up sometimes!" He noticed their expressions, and quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'm not losing it. I just forgot for awhile that fighting is how some people show their feelings for others. I must have really been a pain, jumping down everybody's throats all that time I'd lose it when somebody argued. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Sonic said.

"Yeah!" Cream agreed, giggling.

"Hey! Her piece of cake is bigger than mine!" Julie-Su yelled a minute later, pointing at Rouge.

"You need glasses!" Rouge yelled, pushing her piece of cake in Julie-Su's face.

"Have some ice cream!" Julie-Su said, dropping a scoop down Rouge's dress.

"Happy birthday, Knuckles," Tails said while the two girls fought.

"Thanks, kid," Knuckles said from where he was hiding behind the couch.

The party broke up soon after that. Cream walked Tails home.

"I think it went very well, right up until Miss Rouge and Miss Julie started the food fight," Cream said.

"Well, parties around here are never boring, that's for sure," Tails said. "Um…sorry I wasn't more fun at yours, Cream."

"Oh, that's okay," Cream said, smiling up at him. "I can see you're getting better all the time." At her front door, she suddenly threw her arms around him. "Welcome home, Old Tails! I've missed you!"

Tails froze, then hugged her back. "Good to be back, Cream. Thank you for helping me get back."

"Anytime!" Cream said, going inside. She waved to him. "Bye-bye!"

"Bye," Tails said. He walked home alone, a thousand thoughts going through his mind all at once.

February 3:

Tails got up the next morning and decided to take a walk along the beach. Cream's feelings for him were growing stronger, and he had no idea what to do about it. He wondered if he could be happy with her. If she would accept him always loving another. She'd helped him through his depression, helped take care of Cosmo's plant, and, he knew, would be with him constantly once the flower bud bloomed. Tails had given up the hope that Cosmo was returning to him. Which meant he was about to find himself a single father, raising his girlfriend's orphaned child. He still couldn't deal with that. Either Cosmo was a perfect plant, able to have children without a male, or else…

"I'm directly linked to this monster by my body, as you can see!"

Tails shook his head. No! He wouldn't accept that! And it didn't matter. It _couldn't_ matter. Regardless of who the father might or might not be, Cosmo was the mother, and that was all that mattered. Tails was so lost in thought, he didn't notice that he was being watched.

"So what do we do?" Ginger asked. "Tie him up and throw him in the ocean?"

"Then he'd be dead, and with his precious flower girl, and we want him to suffer," Fiona pointed out. "Come on, he's heading towards the bridge! We'll get him there!"

Tails headed towards the bridge in hopes that it would make him feel close to Cosmo. She'd led him more than once to a bridge in her dreams. Was she trying to tell him something? Or did she just like bridges? Of course, it could have simply been dreams, but he wanted to believe she had really come to see him. The pain was easier to deal with, but he wasn't ready to let her go yet.

Tails was too lost in thought to notice he was being followed. He walked along the bridge until he reached the middle. He stepped to the edge and looked down into the water. If Cosmo had called him to meet her in such a place because she enjoyed them, he could see why. He sat down, took off his shoes, and let his feet dangle over the edge into the water. Yes, as much as he enjoyed working with metal and wires and machine oil, he loved the outdoors too.

He sighed. "I could sit here forever, if she were only with me," he said out loud.

"Why, Miles, are you talking about me?"

Tails jumped up and spun around. "Ginger?! What are you doing here? The guard is after you!"

"And who's fault is that, hmm?" the monkey demanded, stepping right up to Tails and pushing her face into his.

"Yours," Tails said, stepping back to the very edge of the bridge. "Stupid!" he told himself. "I had to take my shoes off, so if I have to fight her, I can't even kick that hard!"

"Why, Miles," Ginger said, looking hurt, "how can you say such a cruel, hurtful thing?" She clutched at her heart. "I opened up to you, and you were so mean to poor little me!" She smirked. "I guess I'll just have to avenge my honor!"

Tails stared at her. "What?!?" he said. "That…that doesn't make sense, Ginger!"

"Oh, so now you're calling me crazy?" Ginger demanded, folding her arms. "Hmm…which of us spent time in a mental hospital again? Oh, right, it was you!"

Tails blushed. "Sh-shut up! It was a mistake! I didn't belong there!"

"Oh, poor widdle Miles," Ginger said, taking a step towards him. "Your widdle fwower girl went bye bye off to Heaven, and your bwain went bye bye too!"

Tails swallowed. He had been taking a few lessons from Knuckles on fighting, but hadn't really learned too much. His only hope was flight. He tensed his tails muscles, but didn't start spinning. It would take a moment to take off, and he was afraid she'd jump him before he was out of reach. "I'm not crazy!" he said. "That really hurts!"

"Aww, Miles is hurt!" Ginger said. "Did you hear that?"

Tails looked around nervously. "Wh-who are you talking to? Who else is here?"

Then he saw her. The girl he'd once loved. Before he had known any better. "F-Fiona."

"Good morning, Miles," Fiona said. He looked at her. Still beautiful. Still cold. Harsh. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Long time no see. Miss me?"

"I…I don't want any trouble," Tails said. He decided to get out of there. He looked over his shoulder at the water. "Have to just leave my shoes," he thought. He leaped into the air backwards, spinning his tails as he did.

"Oh no you don't!" Fiona cried, throwing something at him.

Tails recognized them as bolos. They wrapped around his tails, and he fell into the water. The weights of the bolos began to pull him down. He hadn't had a chance to take a deep breath before his head had gone under. He started struggling to free himself. His lungs were burning when he finally threw them away. He dogpaddled to the surface, gasping for breath.

Fiona and Ginger were kneeling on the bridge, watching him.

"Aw, darn! He came back up!" Ginger said. "Bummer!" She threw back her head and laughed insanely. Even Fiona looked at her funny.

"Uh…bye!" Tails said, starting to swim away. Then he felt a net fall over him.

"Oh, we came well prepared, genius boy!" Fiona said, as they started to haul him out of the water.

"Golly gee, cousin Abner, we caught us a big one!" Ginger said.

"Okay, what do you want?!" Tails asked. He could feel his heart pounding now. He was scared, but not about to let them know that.

"Why, we just want to play, Miles," Ginger said. They tossed him onto the bridge. Fiona grabbed his wrists and Ginger grabbed his ankles. They carried him over the bridge.

"Sonic's going to find out about this, and then you'll be in trouble!" Tails said.

"Oh no!" Ginger cried, looking at Fiona. "Sonic's going to get us? Oh, what will we do? He's so big and so strong!"

"I guess we'll have to hide the evidence!" Fiona said. "But first, let's get rid of this!" She dumped Tails on his head, and pulled off his watch. "It's a phone, isn't it?" she asked. She stomped on it. Tails sobbed as it burst into little pieces.

"Oopsy!" Ginger cried. "Clumsy you, Fiona!"

They carried Tails down the path towards the woods.

"Hey!" Tails yelled. "Let me go! Help!"

"Scream your guts out," Fiona said, "nobody will hear you. If they do, they won't want to get involved. Most people aren't trying to impress everybody the way you and your ridiculous friends do."

"My friends are good people," Tails said angrily. "You wouldn't understand anything about that!"

"I'm hurt," Fiona said.

"Yeah, that's really mean of you, Miles," Ginger said. "I think I'm going to cry!" She grinned. "I know _you_ are!"

They carried Tails into a patch of trees. Tails realized they could do anything they wanted to do to him there, and no one would find him for days. "Help! Somebody help!"

"He's such a crybaby!" Ginger said. "Did you notice that?"

"Yes, that's why I never did like him," Fiona said.

"Then why are you doing this?" Tails demanded.

"Because _I_ do the dumping in my relationships!" Fiona said. At last they reached an old trunk. Ginger held onto Tails while Fiona opened it.

"You're kidding!" Tails said, realizing what was happening. He beat Ginger's arm, and tried to run. Fiona karate kicked him, knocking him against a tree. Tails saw brilliant flashes of white light. He shook his head, but before he could clear it, he felt them hoist him up, then throw him down.

"Bye-bye, Miles!" Ginger said, laughing insanely again.  
"Don't worry," Fiona assured him. "We'll come back and let you out before you die…probably!" They slammed the lid shut, leaving Tails in total darkness.

"Hey! Tails cried, pounding on the lid! The box shook a little, but the lid didn't move. "Hey! Let me out of here! Come on!"

There was no reply. Tails felt around. The box was metal, so he couldn't break through it. There was absolutely nothing inside that he could use to try to escape.

"Let me out!" Tails sobbed. "Please, let me out!"

Nothing. Tails continued to pound on the box until his hands and feet ached. He screamed himself hoarse, but no one came.

"I…I could die in here!" he realized. He considered this. If he died, he'd be with Cosmo forever. Nothing could ever separate them again. But that would mean never seeing his friends, his family again. "I-I'm sorry, Cosmo," Tails said. "I want to be with you! I want to be with you so much! But--but not this way! I want _you _to come back to _me_! I want to live! I want to live!" Saying those words surprised him a little. Months ago, he doubted he'd've said them so positively. He felt his eyes overflow with tears. "Please forgive me, Cosmo! Please…please help me! Help me to get out of this! Please!"

Tails gasped. It was getting stuffy in there. Was he running out of air?!?

_Mother! What's happening? I can hear Tails calling me! But--but not the way he was. This is different!_

_Cosmo, your boy is in trouble. He may be with you soon._

_What?!? No! No, I don't want that! Let me see! Oh no! No! I have to do something!_

_You can't. You can't help him, dear._

_No, I…I know a way! Forgive me, Mother!_

_Cosmo? What are you going to do? Cosmo!_

Cream was rearranging flowers from Tails' greenhouse for her mother. "Aren't these pretty, Cheese?"

"They sure are!" Cheese said enthusiastically. Actually, Cream could be picking her nose, and Cheese would say it was great if Cream enjoyed doing it.

"After I finish these, I should go and see Tails," Cream went on. Do you…do you think I have a…a chance with him?"

Cheese made a face. "If he doesn't want you, he's crazy!" Cheese said. "But maybe your mother's right, and he's not ready to see somebody else. I don't want to see you cry, Cream!"

"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Cheese!" Cream said, throwing her arms around her best friend.

"I'd do anything for you, Cream!" Cheese said, hugging her back. "Anything!"

A cool breeze suddenly blew across Cream's face. She looked around. "Is the window open? No, it looks closed." She walked over to it and checked. "Yup. It's closed all right. So how could a breeze get in here?"

"I didn't feel anything," Cheese said, looking around.

Cream scratched her head. "That's very strange! I just don't understand it!"

_Cream…_

Cream looked around. "Who's there?" she asked.

"What is it?" Cheese asked, looking concerned. "What's the matter, Cream?"

"I thought I heard somebody call my name," Cream said, "from very far off."

"I didn't hear anything," Cheese said, staring worriedly at her. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Cream said. "I just…"

_Cream…_

"There it is again!" Cream cried. "Who's there? Who's calling me?"

_Hurry, Cream! Tails is in trouble!_

"Tails is in trouble!?!" Cream cried. "Who's…C-Cosmo?"

"Cream, who are you talking to?" Cheese asked, very confused.

_Hurry, Cream! You have to save him! Please!_

"Okay!" Cream cried. "Show me where, Cosmo!" She opened the window, jumped out, and flew away. Cheese followed her.

"Cream, there's nobody talking to you!" Cheese insisted.

"You can't hear her?" Cream asked. "It's Cosmo, Cheese! She said Tails needs help!"

"What?!?" Cheese cried.

"Hey," Fiona said to Ginger. They were at a restaurant, eating. "You remembered to drill air holes in that trunk so stupid could breath, right?"  
Ginger looked at her funny. "I thought you were going to do that."

"Idiot!" Fiona said, jumping up. "We don't want a murder rap! Come on! We've got to get back there before he croaks!"

"Hey!" the waiter cried. "You didn't pay!"

Fiona kicked him into an umbrella. It fell over, hitting him upside the head. The two girls hurried back towards the patch of trees.

"Cosmo?" Cream called. "Which way? I can't see you!"

_Turn left. No, too far. That's it. Hurry, Cream!_

Tails started coughing. "What a stupid way to die!" he thought.

Cream at last reached the clearing. She looked around. "Where to next, Cosmo? All I see is an old trunk! Cosmo?"

_You're not to do that again, do you understand, young lady?!_

_But, Mother! Tails might die!_

_Cosmo, you could get yourself in a lot of trouble, interfering with the living!_

_Then, I can't help him again?!?_

_Not that way. Not from here. Come, my child. We must return now. Time is short._

_Please, Mother! Can't I at least make sure she saves him?_

_You may watch, but you may not speak to either of them again. If you do, you will lose your last visit with him!_

_(Gasp!) Oh no! No, please, Mother! I-I need this last visit! We both do!_

_Then watch and listen, then we must go!_

Tails had collapsed inside of the trunk. His lungs ached, and his brain was growing fuzzy. Then he heard a tapping sound that echoed through the trunk, and a faint "Tails? Are you in there?"

Tails struggled to answer. "Hello?" He realized whoever it was might not have heard him. He kicked at the trunk, again cursing himself for having removed his shoes. They would have made a lot more noise.

"I can hear you!" the faint voice said. Tails realized it was Cream.

"Cream? I--can't breath!" he gasped. He was seeing spots before his eyes.

"Hang on, Tails!" the voice called. "I'll get you out of there!"

Cream picked up a rock and started hitting the lock with it.

"Use me!" Cheese cried.

"What?" Cream said. "I don't want to hurt you, Cheese!"

"I don't want to see you cry if Tails dies," Cheese said. "Don't worry about me! I'm a whole lot tougher than I look! Please, throw me against the lock!"

Cream picked up Cheese, kissed him, then pulled back her arm. "I want you both in my life!" she cried. "Don't either one of you leave me!" She threw Cheese at the trunk. The lock flattened. "Oh no! Even if we had the key, we couldn't open it now!" She looked over at her chao friend. "Are you okay, Cheese?"

"Sure," Cheese said. "Do it again!"

Cream threw Cheese a second time. Then a third. This time, the lock broke off. Cream lifted the lid and cried out in horror. Tails wasn't moving.

"Tails!" she sobbed. "Tails, speak to me!" She lifted him out of the trunk. He was limp.

_Oh no! Cream, do something! Please! You have to…Tails?!?_

_Wh-what happened? Cosmo?!?_

"Come on, Tails!" Cream sobbed, setting him down on the ground. "Wake up! Please, wake up, you're scaring me!"

_Cosmo…how can you be here? Wait! Did…did I die?_

_No, Tails! You're…you're just unconscious, I think! Mother? Mother, where are you?_

"Come on, Tails!" Cream sobbed. "Don't you go away from me!" Tails had taught her CPR after she'd nearly drowned. She bent over and breathed into his mouth. "You can't have him, Cosmo! Do you hear me? I won't let you take him like this!"

_Cosmo…we can be together this way!_

_No, Tails! This isn't right! You can't join me like this! Please, too many people need you! And I need you! I need you to be strong and healthy and happy._

_But…but Cosmo…_

_You don't want to die, Tails! You know you don't!_

"Please! Please!" Cream sobbed, pressing down on Tails' chest. "Please, give him back! Give him back to me!" She breathed into his mouth again.

_You know you want to live, Tails. You know there are so many things you still want to do with your life._

_But I want you there with me. Why, Cosmo? Why couldn't you have come with me? I can't understand why that had to happen! I will never understand!_

"Don't go with her, Tails!" Cream sobbed, still working on him. "You can't do go away with Cosmo! Your mom and dad need you! Mister Sonic will be so sad if he loses his best friend!" She breathed into his mouth again and again. "Please, Tails! I love you! I love you!"

_Did you hear that, Tails? Cream loves you._

_But I love you. I…I don't want to die, Cosmo. I want to live. But I want you with me._

_Tails! You know what you have to do! You promised me you'd get better! That you'd be happy! You promised me!_

_And I promised I'd never break another promise to you, didn't I? But…I…I can touch you! Feel you!_

_If…if I give you a kiss…will you go back? Will you live for me?_

"Tails! Please come back! Please come back to me!"

_Your kiss was so wonderful, Cosmo! I could die for your kisses! Literally, I guess!_

_No! You don't want to do that, Tails! You know you don't!_

_No, I…I have a lot of things I need to do, Cosmo. A lot of ways I want to make you proud of me before we meet again in the next world. I love you, Cosmo! I always have, and I always will! Will you still come to see me…one more time?  
Of course, Tails. Soon. Now go back! Hurry! You don't want to make Cream cry any longer._

Tails coughed. His lungs were burning. His heart was pounding. But he was alive. He opened his eyes to see not blue eyes set in a greenish face, with leaf-like green hair and pink flower buds, but to teary brown eyes in a cream-colored face, with long floppy ears.

"Tails?" Cream sobbed. She threw her arms around him. "Oh, Tails! I was so scared! Please don't ever do that to me again!"

Tails hugged her back. "I'm sorry, Cosmo! I wanted so much to stay with you, but I don't want to die yet! Please forgive me!"

_There's nothing to forgive, my love. But you can't hear me anymore, can you?_

_No, Cosmo. He can't._

_Mother? Where were you just now? When he was speaking with me?_

_You didn't need me there, baby. I would have only been intruding. Now come. You must prepare for your final visit with him. _

_Yes, Mother. Good-bye, Tails! Cream, please take good care of him!_

"You should go to a hospital, Tails!" Cream said, still worried about him. "Can you walk, or should I carry you?"

"Neither of you is going anyplace!" Fiona cried, stepping into the clearing.

Cream stepped in front of Tails. "Who are you? Were you the one that put Tails in that trunk?"

"Cream, don't try to fight her!" Tails gasped. "She's dangerous! And she's not alone!"

"No, she's not!" Ginger cried, dropping out of the nearest tree unto Cream's back, knocking her to the ground. She started to bite Cream on the shoulder.

"Cream!" Tails cried, trying to pull the monkey off of his friend. Fiona slammed him against the trunk.

"So your little girlfriend saved you? How sweet!" Fiona said. "I don't want to go away for murder, so I think we'll just beat the daylights out of both of you!"

"Ow!" Ginger cried. "What the…Ow!" She released Cream, and backed away from her.

"Chao chao chao!" Cheese yelled, furious.

"You stupid little blue marshmallow!" Ginger shrieked, swinging at Cheese. Cheese dodged, and bit her hand, then flew to Cream.

"Take this!" Cream yelled, throwing Cheese at Ginger. The monkey fell over with a surprised look on her face. Cream leaped in the air, flapping her ears, and swooped down on Fiona, kicking her upside the head. She picked up Tails and cried out, "Come on, Cheese! We're getting out of here!" She flew off, Cheese following.

"Wow," Tails thought, "I sure wouldn't want Cream mad at _me_!"

The doctor at the hospital checked Tails over, then said, "You should rest today, but you seem fine."

"Thanks," Tails said. "I've been trying to tell my friend that, but…"

"But it never hurts to be sure," Cream insisted, throwing an arm around him. "Come on, Tails! I'll take you to my house! You'll be safe from those mean bullies there!"

Tails blushed. He didn't mind being saved by a girl, but being saved by one two years his junior was a bit embarrassing. Then he thought of Cosmo's plant.

"Cream! I have to go home and make sure Cosmo's okay!" Tails told her.

"Then I'm going with you!" Cream insisted. Outside of the hospital, she asked, "Can you fly, or should I carry you?"

"Uh…I'm sure I'll be okay," he said. "Please don't fuss over me, Cream!"

"You know I wouldn't do that if I didn't care about you, Tails," Cream said, staring into his eyes.

"Uh…thanks," Tails said., looking away. "So, how did you know I was in danger?"  
"Cosmo told me," Cream said.

Tails stared at her. "She…she spoke to you?!?"

"She told me you were in trouble," Cream explained. "She led me to the trunk, then she…I guess she just had to go."

"She's still looking out for me!" Tails said, looking up as they flew to his house. "Thank you, Cosmo. Thank you so very much!"

Cream looked at Tails and sighed. Tails noticed, but pretended he didn't.

"Please, find somebody else, Cream," he thought. "I don't want to make hurt you. I don't want to make you cry."

February 4:

The next day, Sonic showed up early in the morning.

"I got good news and bad news for you, buddy," Sonic said, stepping inside of Tails' house.

"Uh oh," Tails said. "That doesn't sound so good. Give me the bad news first."

"Well, the bad news is, Ginger has disappeared, so she might turn up again anytime," Sonic told him. "But the good news is, they caught Fiona. She won't be getting out for awhile."

"Well, that's good to know," Tails said. "Would you like some tea?"  
"It doesn't bother you?" Sonic asked.

Tails stared at his best friend. "Sonic," he said softly, "I got over Fiona a long time ago. Her being arrested doesn't bother me in the slightest. I don't know what I was thinking, ever liking her!"

"You okay, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Well, I almost died yesterday," Tails said, "but otherwise I'm fine." He walked across the room slowly, lost in thought. "Sonic? I…I saw her yesterday. Cosmo. A part of me wanted to…stay with her. But…but I didn't want to die." He turned towards Sonic. "I'm not sure I would have felt the same way a few months ago. I was really angry at my dad back then for having me put away, but…but I guess it really did help. I got my head back on straight again. Guess I just had to hit rock bottom before I could find my way back."

"But you're okay, now, right?" Sonic asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Tails said. He smiled. "Don't look so worried, Sonic. I really mean it. I'm okay."  
"Great," Sonic said. "So, what do you have planned for today?"

"Nothing really," Tails said. "Tomorrow's…you know. Um…I'm not looking forward to it. I've put it off for so long because I haven't wanted to really say good-bye. But Cosmo said she'll only be able to come to me…one more time. And…and it scares me."

Sonic patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "It's okay to let go. It's okay to move on with your life, Tails."

"Yeah," Tails said. "I…I'm not going to start acting crazy again, don't worry. I…I just need a little time to accept that I'll…I won't see her again."

"Come on," Sonic said. "Let's do something today."

"Well," Tails said, "how about a walk. I'm afraid there's too much snow on the ground for running.."

"A walk's fine, little buddy!" Sonic said. "Let's go!"

A few minutes later, the two of them were headed for the woods. Tails had had enough of the sea for awhile. They walked until they reached the place where Sonic had first confronted Tails about Metal Cosmo.

"Oh," Sonic said, looking around as he recognized the spot. "Uh…Tails, I'm sorry."

Tails sighed. "It's okay, Sonic. Keeping that robot duplicate of Cosmo around would have just upset me. I would have kept hoping it would become more and more like Cosmo, and been disappointed when it didn't. Don't worry about it, please."  
"Yeah, I guess," Sonic said. "It seemed to like you. I guess, even a robot Cosmo couldn't have hated you. Sorry, that probably makes it worse, huh?"

"No, it's really all right," Tails assured him. "I would have liked to have helped the poor thing, but maybe she's better off wherever she is now."

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. "Oh, no! Not now!" Sonic yelled.

"Ho ho ho! Miss me?" A robot came crashing towards them, Eggman riding on top.

"Eggman!" Tails yelled. "How dare you show your face around here again after what you did?!"

"Aww…what's the matter, Tails? Did you lose it?" Eggman's voice asked sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Tails yelled. He'd just put up with the crazy jokes yesterday from Fiona and Ginger. He wasn't going to let Eggman get away with it too. "You should have minded your own business, Eggman!"

"Strong words from someone with a fragile psyche," Eggman said. "But don't worry, Ill be more than happy to put you out of your misery!" He swung his robot's arm at Tails.

Tails threw himself out of the way. "You're not getting me that easily!" he yelled. He spun his tails and rose into the air.

"Don't let him rattle you, little buddy!" Sonic yelled, running around and around the robot. "I'll take care of him!"

"No!" Tails said. "I'm not going to hide behind you or Knuckles or Amy any more!"

"From what I've heard," Eggman said, chuckling, "you're even letting little Creamy Cream protect you these days! Ho ho ho! What a loser!" He swung his robot at Tails again.

Again Tails swerved out of the way. "At least I have friends that care what happens to me!" he shouted. "How about you, Eggman? If you died, who would cry at your funeral?"

"Sh-shut up!" Eggman yelled, grabbing the fox. "Where are your boasts now, smart aleck?"

"Hang on, Tails!" Sonic cried, spin dashing the robot's legs. As the robot staggered, Tails managed to get free. Realizing he couldn't fight the robot the way Sonic did, Tails decided to attack the man behind the robot. He flew up and started kicking the clear covering that Eggman was sitting behind. He didn't have the power in his kicks that Cream did, but he had enough momentum to crack the glass.

"Hey!" Eggman yelled, reaching for the ejection button.

"No you don't!" Tails said. He punched Eggman in the face, unfastened his seatbelt, then lifted Eggman out of the robot. Without Eggman, Sonic was able to quickly demolish the robot. He heard a cry of pain, and turned to see Tails beating Eggman.

"No. More. Lies!" Tails yelled, driving his fists into Eggman's soggy belly. The villain went down, making a wheezing sound. "This ends now, Eggman!"

"Not quite!" Eggman moaned. "Bokkun!"

"Hi!" Bokkun said. He handed Tails a package. Snorting, Tails tossed it to Eggman.

Eggman screamed. "Oh no!"

KA-BOOM!

Sonic rushed towards the smoke. As it cleared, he saw that Eggman and Bokkun were gone.

"Whoa!" Sonic said to Tails. "Just…whoa!"

"I finally did something right!" Tails said. "Did you see that, Cosmo? I'm not a failure!"

Sonic put his arm around his friend. "Buddy, you were never a failure."

"Yeah, I know," Tails admitted. "But it was great to do something physical, like the rest of you guys, instead of just sitting around being a geek."

"You are not a geek," Sonic said proudly. "You're my little brother!"

"Thanks, Sonic," Tails said. "Let's go! I feel like a longer walk now!"

By the time they returned, Tails was exhausted, but happier than he'd been in a long time.

_Good for you, Tails! Good for you!_

_Cosmo? You need to see him for the last time very soon._

_Then…tomorrow. I think that would be best. Let this day be a day of victory for him, and not sorrow._

_As you wish, my child._

February 5, Morning

The day had finally come that Tails had hoped would never arrive. He put on his black tuxedo, sighing softly as he did. He looked at himself in the mirror.

"I'd like to think you'd've enjoyed seeing me like this," he thought. "I'm so sorry for putting this off for so long, but now--now it's time to--to let you go! Please forgive me!"

He went to the room in his house that his parents had begrudgingly allowed him to keep. Pictures of Cosmo were everywhere. Candles sat where he would sometimes light them and pray. For most of the last nine months, he had prayed that she would come back some day, but now he prayed that she was happy. He picked up the picture of all of them on the Blue Typhoon. Cosmo had looked so sad in it. He'd held his arm out towards her, but had been so afraid to put it around her. Now, he'd never get that chance. He placed the picture back on the mantle, and left the shrine. Someday, he knew, he'd take down the pictures, use the room for something else. Maybe when his parents returned. They'd been gone for nearly a month now. He hoped they were all right.

Tails went to his greenhouse and let himself in. He walked softly to Cosmo's plant. Bigger than he was, he could see it was about to bloom.

"Soon," he whispered, stroking a petal. He felt a soft throbbing. There was no doubt about it. The heartbeat was much stronger now. He wondered suddenly why he'd stopped trying to ask Cosmo about her plant. Maybe he just wanted to keep on hoping that it would be her inside after all. Despite all she'd said to the contrary. Well, he'd know for sure soon enough.

Tails stepped outside, locked the door, then turned to see Sonic standing there, watching him.

"You okay today, little buddy?" Sonic asked. "You can put it off until another time if you want. Nobody will blame you."

Tails sighed. "No. No, I…I guess I need this, Sonic. And she deserves it. Just…just don't expect too much from me today, okay?"

Sonic placed his hand on Tails' shoulder. "Sure, little buddy. Let's go."

This was a small group, that met in the park on this day. Except for Vanilla, Rouge, and the Chaotix, only those that had been onboard the Blue Typhoon had been invited. Tails still didn't trust or like Rouge, but he had promised himself that he'd try to get along with her. Knuckles was his friend. He didn't want to be angry with him or Rouge or anyone else anymore.

Cream ran over to hug him. She was so soft and warm. Tails wondered, not for the first time, if something might have developed between them if he hadn't met Cosmo.

"It's so great to see you, Tails!" Cream said happily. "Isn't it, Cheese?"

"Chao chao!" Cheese said, nodding. "I mean…hello, Tails!"

Tails laughed. "Hi, Cheese! Your speech is getting better!"

"I'm trying," Cheese said.

"Tails!" Amy Rose cried, crushing him. "You look so handsome! Some girl is going to be very lucky to catch you!"

Tails sighed. "Not today, Amy, please," he said.

Tails allowed the two girls to lead him to where several chairs were set up. A large picture, with a sheet over it, stood on an easel. Beyond it, was a coffin. Tails had made it himself. He looked at it, then walked over to Knuckles and Rouge.

"Hi, how are you two doing?" he asked quietly.

"Can't complain," Knuckles said. "How about you?"

"I'm doing okay," Tails said, and realized it was the truth. He was coping better than he would have thought just a short time ago.

"She was a nice kid," Rouge said. "I thought she was kind of whiny, but…well, I guess she had good reason to be, huh? It's…not easy, losing your family." Tails was surprised. This was the most Rouge had ever said about her past. At least to him. Maybe the wounds in her heart were healing too.

"No," Tails agreed. "No, losing people that matter to you is never easy. Thank you, Rouge."

"Don't mention it, Kid," Rouge said.

"Hey, Tails," Vector said, holding out his hand. "Hope you're not still mad at me about the whole Ginger thing?"

Tails sighed. He was, actually, especially since Ginger had nearly killed him just two days ago, but he forced himself to smile. Vector, Espio, and Charmy had all worked very hard at setting him up with Cosmo. Their hearts were in the right places, even if their brains had long since taken left turns into Wackyland.

"Well, we've all done things we're not proud of," Tails said. "I know I sure have."

"It's difficult, Tails," Espio said softly, "but you need to face the past in order to turn towards the future."

"Yeah," Tails said, "I know."

"She was nice," Charmy said. "She treated me like my opinion actually mattered for something."

"Everyone's opinion matters," Tails assured him.

As Tails turned towards the coffin and picture to begin the ceremony, he saw someone that hadn't been invited. Bokkun was trying to hide behind a little tree much too thin to conceal him. Tails wondered for a moment if that meant that Eggman would soon attack them there, then noticed the little messenger robot was staring at Cream with a look Tails had seen in the mirror far too many times these last few months.

"I know you love her," Tails thought, "but you're even worse for her than I am, Bokkun!" Tails sighed, then walked over to the microphone beside the picture and in front of the coffin. He forced himself not to look at the pine box, even though he knew that no one was inside.

Tails cleared his voice. "Uh…hi, everybody," he said, surprised that he could talk in such an occasion. "Uh…I guess you all know why we're here. To…to say good-bye to someone that was a part of our lives for a little while, then moved on to a great destiny. She's no longer with us now, but, in a very real way…" he stopped, bit his lip. "Sorry. In a very real way…she'll always be with us. I…I don't think I can go on. Sonic?"

"You did great," Sonic assured him, taking the mike. "We're here to say good-bye to Cosmo, the last of a proud race that is, sadly, no more. I wasn't that close to Cosmo, but I knew I could always count on her to root for me when the going got rough." He looked at the sky and gave a thumbs-up. "Way to go, Cosmo! You did good!"

Amy came up. "I have to admit, I didn't think too much of Cosmo at first. She sometimes didn't answer me when I spoke to her, and I guess I thought she was being rude. But I came to realize she was a quiet, sad little girl, with a world of hurt inside, and sometimes she just didn't hear what people were saying to her. She was completely loyal to those that she cared about, but if you ticked her off, she let you know, but without ever being mean or nasty about it. We love ya a lot, Cos! BFFs forever!"

Cream stepped up. "Cosmo was like a sister to me," she said. "She would ask for my opinion, and she really listened to what I had to say. Like I wasn't just a silly little girl in my own fantasy world. I really miss her. I…I hope she can see this. Good-bye, Cosmo! If-if you see my daddy, please tell him I love him!"

Everyone except Bokkun, who continued to try to hide, spoke, but Tails was no longer listening. His mind was wandering back to those few precious months on the Blue Typhoon. If he'd known how little time he had…He shook his head. No. No, he'd gone over that again and again and again. There was no way to get back lost time. All he could do was cherish the time he had, and try not to think about what might have been.

At last, Sonic opened the coffin. It was lined with green and white silk, like the dresses Cosmo had worn. A little green pillow rested inside. Not her pillow on the Blue Typhoon. Tails wasn't quite ready to give that up yet. As he watched, everyone walked past the coffin. Amy and Cream placed pictures of themselves with Cosmo inside. Sonic, Knuckles, Vanilla, and the Chaotix placed flowers. Rouge laid in a tiny miniature planet egg. "I had it specially made for today," she said. "No, I didn't steal it, even though I could have."

Finally, Tails walked up to the coffin. He placed a picture of the two of them at that long ago party on the pillow. His hands shook as he gently closed the lid. Everyone placed a rose on the coffin. Then they bowed their heads. Amy said a Christian prayer, Espio quoted a Buddhist ritual, Cream recited something her mother had told her. Tails recited a poem Chuck Thorndyke had taught him on Earth. Sonic, Knuckles, Vector, and Espio buried the little coffin while the others watched. Cream and Amy both put their arms around Tails. He looked away until it was over. Then he looked back, and sank to his knees.  
"Good-bye, Cosmo!" He sobbed, placing a final rose on her grave. "Rest in peace." He started to cry. Then he felt a soft breeze blow across his face. "She was here!" he thought. "She came! Good night, my love! Until we meet again!"

They went to Cream's house, where they all did their best to make Tails feel better. But he had long ago learned that only time could do that. When he left them that evening, Sonic walked him home.

"You sure you're gonna be okay tonight?" Sonic asked him.

"Sure," Tails said. "I…I'll see you tomorrow, okay, Sonic?"

Sonic gave him a hug. "You call me if you need anything, you hear me? I mean it, you're my best friend, and I don't want to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Tails promised him, hugging his spiritual brother back. "Now, we'd better cut this out before people start talking about us!"

"You said it!" Sonic said. "I'll be by later, buddy. See you!" He sped off into the twilight.

February 5: Evening

Tails fell asleep, and dreamed. In his dream, he was in a beautiful garden. He walked through the garden, looking around. Flowers grew everywhere. Trees stood all around him, but not close enough to make him feel boxed in. There was the odor of natural perfumes in the air. Tails smiled. He had never felt so calm. So peaceful. He heard the sound of water running. He walked along a little dirt road until he came to the stream again. The water was as clear as crystal. He bent over the stream and took a drink. Then he froze as he saw a reflection in the water. He spun around.

"Hello, Tails! I'm so happy you could come to see me!"

"Cosmo!" Tails ran to her and threw his arms around her. "Oh, Cosmo! I've missed you so much!"

"You have?" she asked him. "Aren't you happy, Tails? Please tell me I'm not still causing you troubles!"

"Never!" Tails sobbed, burying his face in her shoulder. "I love you, Cosmo! I've loved you since the moment I saw you in the wreckage of your escape capsule! That's never changed, and it never will!"

"You were the first boy I ever laid eyes on," Cosmo said, stroking his hair. "I was so rude to you! And to Cream and Amy and Miss Vanilla. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry!" Tails sobbed. "What I did to you, I can never forgive!"

She lifted his chin and looked into his eyes. "We did what we had to do, don't ever doubt that. Don't let guilt tarnish what we had. Don't let my death make my memory painful to you. And don't make me cry when I think about you and how you're doing." She sighed, then bowed her head.

"Cosmo?" Tails said, nervously. Something was wrong, he could feel it. "Wh-what is it?"

"Tails," Cosmo said softly, "if…if this is our last time together in this world…will you be all right? Will you be happy? Can you go on without me?"

"You…you don't want to come back?" Tails asked. He hugged her tightly. "Cosmo…if…if you don't come back to me again…I don't know what I'll do! But I won't kill myself, or…or hurt myself, or anything like that!"

"But can you live your life without me?" Cosmo insisted. "Can you smile and enjoy the world with your friends, and be happy?"

"Do you want me to?" Tails asked. "Because I swear I will do anything I can for you!"

"When I…when I left you, Tails…do you remember that last time? On the bridge? When I came to say good-bye?"

"I will never forget that!" Tails said. "For a moment, I…I thought you were all right! That Sonic had saved you! But then…then…"

"Do you still blame Sonic at all?" Cosmo asked him. "Or Shadow?"

"I did blame Sonic for awhile," Tails admitted. "And I still don't like Shadow. But mostly I blame Dark Oak and myself."

"No!" Cosmo said. "You must not blame yourself! I forbid you to do so! I want you to say this, Tails. Repeat after me: I, Miles Prower, forgive myself for what happened to Cosmo."

"I…I can't!" Tails said, looking away.

"Shhh." Cosmo laid her head against his chest fur. "You need to forgive yourself before you can move on, Tails. Come on, you can say it. I, Miles Prower, forgive myself for what happened to Cosmo. Please try, Tails. This is important to me."

Tails sobbed. "I, Miles Prower, f-forgive myself for what happened to C-C…I can't."

"Please, Tails, you need to do this," Cosmo insisted. "And I need to know that you can do this."

"For you, I can do it," Tails said. "I, Miles Prower, forgive myself for what happened to…Cosmo." Her name came out as a whisper.

Cosmo looked into his eyes. "Do you remember what I did, when I left you?" she asked.

"You k-kissed me," Tails said. "But I…I'm sorry, I…I couldn't feel your kiss! No!" He hit himself on the head. "Idiot! Why did I say that?!?"

"Tails!" Cosmo yelled, and now she sounded angry. "I don't ever want to see you strike yourself again! I mean it!"  
"I'm sorry," he said. "Please don't be angry with me!"

Cosmo stroked his whiskers. Then she said, "Shall we…try it…once more?"

Tails was confused now. He'd forgotten what he'd just said. Then he remembered. "Y-you mean…"

"Will you kiss me, Tails?" Cosmo asked.

"Is this good-bye?" Tails asked her, starting to shake. "Are you going away forever now?"

"I am always with you," Cosmo said. "As close as your next heartbeat. Listen. Can you hear?"

And suddenly, Tails could hear a sound. A steady sound. A heartbeat. Was it _his_ heart? It sounded so strong, considering he could feel it breaking all over again.

"Don't be afraid," she said softly, To his surprise, she suddenly reached up and played with his ears. "Sorry. I always wanted to do that, but I was too embarrassed. I had so many questions for you, so many dreams I wanted to share with you."

"Me too," Tails said. "When we were alone all that time on the Blue Typhoon, when the others were getting supplies, I should have spoken to you. I should have told you how I felt. It was our last real chance to be together."

"If I…if I had been able to come back with you…what would have happened?" Cosmo asked gently.

Tails held her closer. "I would have devoted my entire life to making you happy!" he said. "Every day that I lived."

"And what if…I caused you more troubles, Tails?" she asked. "What if I did foolish things that hurt you? Would you hate me?"

"I could never hate you!" Tails sobbed. "How can you even ask that?"

"I'm sorry," Cosmo said, kissing his cheek. "I don't want to upset you. I don't want you to cry anymore." She was silent for a minute. "Tails…have you ever thought about how…how people on your world would have reacted to us?"

"What do you mean?" Tails asked. "I don't understand."

"I'm a plant, you're an animal," she pointed out. "Our love would have been rejected. Mocked. Scorned. They might have hated you for loving me."

"I don't care!" Tails said. "Anyone that didn't accept us wouldn't be our friends, and if they were opposed to our love, that would have been their problem!"

"When people spend their lives together…" Cosmo said, suddenly sounding very nervous, "when a man and a woman are… together…they sometimes…have…children. But…we are so different. Perhaps it would not be possible. Or wise."

"I don't care!" Tails said. "We could have adopted. I love you, Cosmo! Nothing else matters! Nothing!"

"What if I…got sick? Or extremely depressed?" Cosmo asked, sounding nervous. "What if…what if I started acting…strange?"

"You mean…turned into a tree again?" Tails asked. "Could that have happened?"

"I suppose it might eventually," Cosmo said. "When I was old and sick. But…what if something happened to me sooner? What if I…got angry at someone and struck them?"

Tails gasped. "You could never be a violent person, Cosmo!" he cried.

"I helped Amy and Cream attack Knuckles," she said , looking down at her feet. "And when Vector and Espio and Charmy came to see how Cream was, I…I attacked them."

"We all did," Tails reminded her. "And you only hit them with a feather duster. I'm sure that wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I just…sometimes, after what the Metarex did, I'd…feel so much anger building up inside of me," Cosmo said sadly. "It scares me! I don't want to hurt anyone, Tails! I don't want to hurt you! Or our…"

Tails held her close. "You could never hurt me, Cosmo. Or our friends."

"Our…friends?" Cosmo asked him.

"Wasn't that what you were going to say?" Tails asked her. "You said 'our.' Who else did you mean?"

Cosmo's face suddenly felt warm to the touch. He was surprised to find that she was blushing.

"Cosmo?" he said. "What's wrong? Did I say something to upset you?"

Cosmo shook her head. "No, Tails. You just reminded me of why I love you!" She hugged him again.

"Huh?" Tails didn't understand, but he hugged her back and didn't ask any questions.

"Tails…may I have that kiss now, please?," Cosmo asked softly.

"This…this _is_ good-bye, isn't it?" Tails asked, feeling his tears roll down his cheeks.

"What will be, will be," Cosmo said, confusing him. What did she mean?

Tails leaned forward. He could feel her hands on his face. Her lips on his. Like they were really together somehow, somewhere. The world, or wherever they were at this time, seemed to stand still.

"This is all I ask in life," Tails thought. "This is all I will ever need…if only this moment could last forever! Please, God, make this moment last forever!"

But of course, it didn't. Cosmo at last moved back. "You need to go now, Tails," she said. "You need to be happy. Promise me you will get on with your life. No matter what happens."

"Without you?" Tails asked.

"You don't need me," Cosmo said. "You are Miles Prower…and you are a wonderful person." She started to fade away.

"Cosmo!" Tails cried. "Will I ever see you again?"

"If it's meant to be," Cosmo said. Then she was gone. "Sayonara, Miles Prower."

Tails woke, wondering what she meant by her last statement. He lay in bed for hours before he finally fell asleep again. He had no idea that his destiny was being determined as he slept.

_Cosmo? It's time, my child._

_So soon, Mother? But…but I'm not ready for such an important decision!_

_If you don't make it now, it will be too late. Your body will die once again in a few hours if you do not return to it.._

_Then…then…I…I…I…_

What will Cosmo decide? Find out as Tails' Story comes to an end in "The Shining Road."


	30. Chapter 30: The Shining Road

Sorry for the relative shortness of this last chapter. Most of the sequel will probably be around this length.

AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY

Last Chapter

"The Shining Road"

February 6:

Tails woke feeling surprisingly happy, considering that Cosmo had said she wouldn't be back. He wondered if it was because she was so obviously happy, or if it was what she'd said that he hadn't understood.

He went out to his greenhouse to check on Cosmo's plant. The flower looked as if it were just about to open. He was eager to see it finally at full bloom.

"Can't wait to hold you, whoever you are!" he said softly, gently stroking the flower. The heartbeat was very strong today. As strong as his.

Tails whistled as he prepared breakfast. There wasn't much food in the house. He'd have to go grocery shopping today.

As he ate breakfast, Tails thought that he should go see his friends. He hadn't seen Cream since Knuckles' birthday party, four days ago. She was his best friend now, and he loved her like a sister. He didn't want to think of the little bunny as anything else. While he was no longer depressed when he thought of Cosmo, he still had no interest in finding another girl. Maybe in a few years he'd think about it. Then again, maybe he wouldn't.

Tails was working on attaching a sticky webbing weapon onto Cream's plane when he felt a breeze.

"Hi, Sonic!" he called.

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic said. "How you doing, little buddy?"

"Much better," Tails said.

"I thought we could hang out today," Sonic said.

"Well, I was thinking of going over and seeing Cream and Cheese in a couple of hours," Tails said. "Just let me finish fixing up this new weapon for Cream. I know she hates violence, so I'm sure she'll like being able to catch enemies in a net. I started this months ago and never finished it. I got the idea from that movie we saw with the man in the spider costume."

"That's a great idea," Sonic said. "You never fail to amaze me, little buddy!"

"You know," Tails said, suddenly wistful, "it's kind of funny. I never thought I could go on after…what happened last year. I still miss her, of course. I know I always will. But the sun is still rising in the morning, and I know I'll see her again some day. I…I think I can move on now."

"It's okay to leave her a piece of your heart," Sonic said. "I know it's not the same thing, but even though Princess Sally has made it clear again and again that we're through, I'll always love her."

"Well…what about Amy?" Tails asked.

"I'm…not quite ready to think about something like that," Sonic admitted.

"It's funny, Sonic," Tails said, leaning against Cream's ship. "You're one of the most powerful beings in the universe, and I have an extremely high I.Q., but neither of those things affect our feelings one bit. Our hearts are just as fragile as anyone else's." He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm…not going back to my bad place again, don't worry. I think I'm past that. I guess I…had to hit rock bottom before I could pull myself back up again."

He turned back to his work, and suddenly realized he was humming "I'm Henry the Eighth, I am! I am!" "D'oh! My brother sang that so many times, sometimes it starts playing in my head, and I can't get it out!"

"Yeah, I know," Sonic said. "I had the same problem the other day with 'I'm My Own Grandpa.' Your brother's probably infected all of Mobius with corny old Earth songs. Well, I'll just check to make sure Eggman isn't plotting any of his nonsense, then I'll be back to go with you to Cream's house."

"You should invite Amy," Tails suggested. "You two make a great couple, Sonic."

"Yeah, um…we'll see," Sonic said, speeding off.

"Great," Tails muttered. "Now _I'm_ playing matchmaker!" He chuckled, then went back to work.

When he finished, he showered, dried himself with his hydraulic tube, then got dressed. Despite the fact that most of the outfits his mother had bought him would get him beat up if he wore them in public, he'd started getting into the habit of wearing clothes. It was cold today, but his fur protected him from all but the coldest of weather, so he just put on a shirt and jeans. He knew that Sonic wouldn't invite Amy, so he looked for his phone. He couldn't find it. Snorting, he dialed its number on his land phone. It rang, and he left the land phone off the hook while he searched for his cell.

"There you are!" he said, digging through the couch. "I really am getting to be one of those absent-minded professors!" He called Amy.

"Hello!" Amy's happy voice came over the phone. "Is this my little mushy-wushy, Sonikku?"

"Um…sorry, Amy, it's just me, Tails."

"Oh! Oh!" He could practically her blush over the phone. "Hi, Tails! How are you today?"

"Pretty good, actually," Tails said. "Sonic and I were planning to go over to see Cream and Vanilla pretty soon. Would you like to join us?"

"Is Eggman fat?" Amy asked, giggling. "I'd love to see Sonic…oh, and you too, of course!"

"Okay," Tails said. "We'll see you as soon as Sonic gets back. He's checking to make sure Eggman doesn't spoil our day with one of his hairbrained schemes."

"If he does, then smashie-smashie!" Amy said, giggling again. "I was just going over to see Cream, so I'll meet you guys there. See ya!"  
"See ya, Amy!" Tails said. He hung up. Sonic might be awhile. Uncle Chuck had just announced the other day that he'd come up with a new type of chili dog. He decided to try reading for awhile. Maybe he could finish his new book today.

Tails read a chapter, then put his book away. He was restless these days, as if expecting something important to happen soon. He wondered how long his parents would be away. Sure, they could be embarrassing, especially around his friends, but he missed not having them around. Maybe he'd build something for them. He wondered yet again if he should have gone with them, helped them. But they were too proud to ask for help. Maybe that was _his_ problem. He knew his friends had super powers, while all he could do was fly. He shouldn't complain every time he needed help. He contributed. He mattered. Well, Cosmo had thought so. And Cream…No, going out with Cream would only end up hurting her. There was a piece of his heart that he could never give to her. The fact that she knew that, but still wanted to be with him just made it worse. She deserved someone that could give her his whole heart.

He wondered how Knuckles could go back and forth between Julie-Su and Rouge. Probably didn't really love either one of them. He could never do something like that.

Merlin Prower had traveled far into the wilderness. Finally, he'd reached the lost city of the echidnas. It was made of stone, and mostly underground. He walked slowly, waving about his lantern. His nephew would have been happy to provide him with flashlights, but Merlin had little use for technology. He was an antiquarian, had been since his father had passed on when he was little, and he and his mother and little brother had moved in with their grandfather. He came to a flight of steps cut into the side of the building. Carefully, leaning heavily on his cane, he started down them.

Tails looked out his window. He couldn't see them because the sun was out, but astronomical charts had told him that there would be shooting stars today. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. There had been shooting stars in the sky when Cosmo had first come into his life. He had seen them again when she had left him. Now they were back. He wondered if that was a sign. That her flower would bloom tonight. Many people thought shooting stars were omens. They certainly had been for him. Hadn't he seen them the day he'd first teamed up with Sonic, what seemed like so many, many years ago?

He thought about Cosmo's shrine. He would have to take everything down soon. He had needed the shrine at first. Now, it just reopened old wounds to go in there. And the shrine's continued existence would just have his family and friends talking about him. Reminding them of what had happened. Of where he'd ended up. He tried not to think of those weeks. That horrible day they strapped him down and gave him something to put the fight out of him. That little room he was forced to stay in. And he still didn't think he'd ever really gotten that bad, really. If only Amy and Vector and his parents hadn't driven him up the wall, maybe he could have gotten through it all easier. Maybe he could have dealt with everything. If they hadn't kept telling him to cheer up, and looking at him so pitifully. But he wouldn't, couldn't play the blame game. That would send him on the spiral path right back into hating himself, and Sonic, for Cosmo's death. The guilt would never go away, but he could deal with it now. He had followed her wishes. And she was happy and content with her family.

And Cosmo's happiness was all he had ever wanted. Her wishes were the important ones.

Amy called Cream. "Hello!" came her best friend's voice. "Yamato residence! Who may I say is calling, please?"

Amy laughed. "You sound so professional!" she said. "Are you thinking about being a secretary someday?"

"Oh! Amy, hi!" Cream said. "No, I'm just being polite. Do I sound stupid?"

Amy opened her dresser drawer and pulled out a tube of lipstick. "No, no, just kidding. Hey, did Tails say he was coming over to your house later?"

"Huh?" Cream said. "No, why?"

Amy grinned. "Well, he just called and said he and Sonic will be coming over. He invited me to come too. I guess to chaperone!"

Cream gasped. "Amy! Tails isn't interested in me. I wish he was. But he wouldn't have invited you and Mr. Sonic if he was, would he?"

"Maybe," Amy said, applying her lipstick. "He may be too shy to come and see you by himself." She giggled. "Of course, it you want, I can drag Sonic off someplace so that the two of you can be alone!"

Cream made sound like she was choking. "Wha-what do you mean, alone? I…I don't' know what you're talking about, but…but I'm sure my mother would never approve, whatever you're talking about!"

"You're blushing, aren't you?" Amy sang, checking her hair in her vanity mirror. "I think you understand more than you're admitting!"

"Please stop, Amy!" Cream begged. "You're really embarrassing me now!"

"Okay, okay!" Amy said. "We should be over pretty soon! So make sure you're dressed up real pretty for your Tailsy-Wailsy!"

Cream sputtered. "I would never call him that! And you shouldn't either!"

"My bad!" Amy said, shutting one eye and sticking out her tongue. "Anyway, I'll be on my way soon. Have fun, Cream!" She giggled again, then hung up. She looked over her wardrobe. "I set Tails up with Cosmo, and it would have worked if she were still here. Looks like I've worked magic again!" She looked up. "Sorry, Cosmo! Please don't think I'm trying to push you out of Tails' life. But he needs this." She started going through her outfits, trying to pick just the right dress to entice her Sonikku.

Tails sighed. Everyone was right. That room really wasn't healthy for him. But he wasn't ready to take down her tribute. Not yet. Even though there was another tribute. He wondered how she would have felt, knowing that there was now a memorial garden named after her. He guessed she'd be embarrassed to see the statue he'd had made of her. It was so lifelike.

He passed the room, determined not to go in again until he was ready to put everything away.

Tails found himself yet again wondering how he could have prevented that final tragedy. Yes, he thought Super Sonic and Super Shadow could have beaten Dark Oak without her, although they probably would have both been killed. He no longer wanted Shadow dead and suffering, but he still hated that hedgehog. He searched his heart, and found there was still a spark that hated Sonic for his part in Cosmo's death. But the Unbreakable Bond still held. Sonic was still his brother. More so than his flesh and blood brother would ever be.

Tails briefly considered trying to fix his time machine and try again. But time travel was very risky, and there was always the possibility that he would save the Cosmo of another reality, not his. He didn't want the Cosmo of Mobius-2. That would be living a lie. Besides, she would want to be with _her_ Tails. No, time travel probably would never get him what he wanted.

Cream looked at herself in the mirror. "Do you think I'm pretty, Cheese?" she asked.

"Of course you are, Cream!" Cheese said. "You're beautiful!"

"Well…maybe if I looked a little more like my mom," she said, examining herself in her mirror. "Hmm…what if I grow out my hair?" She sighed. "I wonder how long it'll be before Mom will let me wear make-up?"

"You don't need that stuff," Cheese insisted. "If Tails doesn't want you, that's his mistake."

Cream hugged her best friend. "Thank you, Cheese," she said. "But it's not that easy. Tails is afraid to open his heart up again, and I can't really blame him. I didn't love Emerl, but…but I'll never forget him. Or what I had to do to him!"

Cheese laid his head against her arm. "It's okay," he said. "You did what you had to do. I'm sure Emerl would have told you that if he could have."

"Just like Cosmo told Tails not to worry about her," Cream said. "I want her to come back, but…but if she does…I lose Tails forever. But…but…"

Sonic still wasn't back. Maybe he'd ran into trouble. Eggman might have shown up with a new scheme. It was so hard to tell with that guy. Most of his plans were harebrained, but every once in awhile, he'd actually come up with something brilliant. He was just starting to worry, when he got a call.

"Yo, dude!" Sonic said. "I'm gonna pick up a movie or two for later. I've got my phone you gave me on the Blue Typhoon, so you can call me if you need something."  
"Sure, Sonic," Tails said. "How about a comedy? No monster movies, please. I always feel sorry for them now."

"Sure," Sonic said. "I'll get a Three Stooges marathon, and something with dinosaurs."

Dinosaurs? "Sure, why not?" Tails said out loud. "So, anything going on with Eggman?"

"Nah," Sonic said. "He was pigging out on a giant pizza when I checked on him. While he was yelling at me to get out, Bokkun ate most of it! So when I left, he was chasing Bokkun around his hideout, yelling, 'Cough it up, you weird little freak!' Sonic did a pretty good imitation of Eggman. "And Bokkun actually tried to barf it up! So Eggy's like, 'Hey, gross! I'm not _that_ hungry!' And that's when I cut out!"

"That is so weird!" Tails said, "But you know, Bokkun helped me and Amy out. So maybe he's starting to change."

"Maybe," Sonic said. "What the heck _is_ Bokkun, anyway? I mean, he's a robot that eats food!"

"Well, he's probably a roboticized…er, something or other. I have no idea what!" Tails said.

"Yeah, he's got horns, so I'm thinking, goat maybe?" Sonic said. "Anyway, I'll see you soon, little buddy!"

"See you, Sonic!" He hung up his phone. Well, he had some time to waste before Sonic finished. You could rent up to six discs, and Sonic usually took out the limit, so he'd be awhile. Tails decided, since he didn't want to get dirty again working on another invention, he'd just try to watch some television. Of course, he found now that the remote was missing. "I'm going to have to fix it so I can call it on my phone!" he decided. It turned up under the couch.

"Hey," he told his couch, "stop eating my stuff!" He sputtered. "Oh, man, did I just talk to the couch?" he asked himself. "Better watch it, Tails. Huh. And now I'm talking to myself. Oh well, as long as I don't answer, it should be okay!"

Tails channel surfed for awhile. Talk show. Game show. Talk show. Golf. Shopping channel selling stuff from the old Knothole Village. Incredibly badly dubbed kung fu movie. Imperial guards were discussing their favorite tv shows. Some guy was walking around telling everybody that his name was Jackie Chan. "You are not Jackie Chan!" "No, not that Jackie Chan! I'm the other one!" Tails shut off the television.

"I've got to stop just killing time," Tails told himself. "I need to start developing new interests. I wonder if the new school they're building needs somebody to make the playground? I should call Princess Sally tomorrow or the next day. Been a long time since I've heard from her."

Actually, it had been awhile since he'd talked to a lot of friends. Including Debbie. He'd heard she'd gone home last week, but hadn't gotten around to seeing how she was doing. It wasn't her fault that her parents had been so different. Why should she suffer for something that shouldn't even have mattered?

Thinking about Debbie, the girl Amy had tried to set him up with, reminded him of the one Vector had arranged to see him. Ginger was still on the loose. He hoped she had left the city. He didn't want to start carrying weapons. He still hated guns, but a taser or pepper spray might be a good idea.

Merlin examined the stone tablets he'd discovered. They told him more than he had hoped for. Many questions had been answered, although they suggested still greater mysteries.

"I must take these back! Show Miles! He needs to know this at once!" He took the tablets, and began his return to the surface. Something told him he wouldn't have much time.

Tails realized he had been depressed for so long, nine months now, that it was difficult for him to remember what he used to do with his spare time. That was sad. Cosmo would be so disappointed in him. But the dream he'd had last night hadn't faded away. He hadn't just seen her and heard her voice, he'd smelled her scent, and felt her hands touch his face. He'd never had such a realistic dream. She'd said she wouldn't be able to come back to see him again. He felt the tears well up again. But he pushed them back. He should be grateful that he got to see her the times he had. Most people never got to see or hear from dead loved ones again. He winced. It still hurt to think of her that way. Dead. He didn't like that word. Never had. It was an ugly, cruel word in a world that had too much ugliness and cruelty in it already.

"Now I'm getting maudlin again," he scolded himself.

"When you think of me, Tails, laugh, don't cry," she'd said. And he wanted to do that.

He picked up his phone and called the palace. "Hello! Nicole speaking! Whom may I say is calling, please?"

"Hey, Nicole," Tails said. "How are things at the palace?"

"Tails, Hi! Great to hear from you again! I'm afraid that Sally's in a meeting with the king and his council. So how are you?"

"Better," Tails said. "Sorry I've been out of touch for awhile. I promised you and Sally that I wouldn't be a stranger, and I haven't been keeping that promise. So how are you, Nicole?"

"Oh, can't complain," Nicole said. "Don't see much of Sally these days, but at least she seems to be doing better. I guess she's finally…you know…"

"Gotten over her break up with Sonic?" Tails asked. "If she still loves him, then…"

"She says she doesn't'," Nicole said. "I think she's upset that she hurt him. It's a terrible thing, to love someone and not be loved back, but I'm sure it's difficult for the person that's loved as well."

"Yeah," Tails said. He knew what she meant. Cream had dropped so many hints lately, and he had pretended that he hadn't noticed any of them. "You feel like you've done something to lead them on, and you wonder if you meant to hurt them."

"I'm sorry if I've upset you, Tails," Nicole said.

"No, no, I'm okay," Tails assured her. "I'm not as fragile as I used to be. At least, I don't think I am."

"You're still seeing your therapist, right?"

"Yes, Mother!" Tails said. "Sorry. Sonic and Amy ask me that all the time. I've just gotten into the habit of answering them that way." Actually, Doctor Gantan had cut back their sessions to once a month.

They spoke for a little longer. It turned out that Bunny and Antoine were expecting their first child. Darcy had taken up gardening. And Amy had been by to yell at Sally and Nicole for not telling her where Sonic had been.

"Still can't believe Sonic actually found his little sister after all these years," Nicole said.

'Yeah, she's got some problems, though," Tails said. "In fact, she's seeing the same therapist I am. But Sonic says she's acting more and more like the little pest that used to follow him around all day annoying him."

"Is that good?" Nicole asked, sounding confused.

"Well…he's used to her being that way," Tails said. "And I guess it's a good thing if she's acting like her old self again."

They spoke for a few more minutes, then Tails placed his phone on the mantel, where, hopefully, he wouldn't have trouble finding it again.

Once outside of the ruins, Uncle Merlin reached for the phone Tails had given him. What he had learned couldn't wait!

"Hello?" he said. "Miles?" He heard loud static. He shook the phone. "Blast it! Why won't you work?" He turned it off. Machines had always hated him. It made his nephew's great skill with them all the stranger to him.

"Well, I'll have to wait until I get back to…what was that?!?"

Tails looked out his window. The sun had disappeared behind a cloud. He determined not to let that ruin his mood. A few minutes later, he saw a shooting star. What had Cream told him? That if you made a wish five times on a shooting star it would come true? Well, why not? He had wished that day for a girlfriend for just a little while, and that was exactly what he had gotten. A girlfriend for just a little shut his eyes.

"I wish--I wish you could come back to me, Cosmo. If you want to, that is. I-I would never ask you to leave your family. But I love you, Cosmo. Please, if you'll give me just one chance, I swear I'll devote my life to making you happy!"

There was no response. Of course, Tails had long ago given up hoping there would be.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I promise I won't disturb you again, Cosmo. I just--just had to try just this one last time. I mean, there are shooting stars in the sky again. Remember? Like that first day? And that last day,too. I'll always think of you when I see them." He sighed. "Okay, Prower, time to say good-bye."

"Good-bye, Cosmo! Now I know that I have to get on with my life. I have to let you go. Please, put up with my actions, my upsetting you, a little longer. You were never a bother or a burden or trouble to me. But that's just what I've been to you. I'm so sorry! Good-bye, Cosmo! I'll always love you. But it's time I moved on. Time I let _you _move on! Say hi to your mom and sisters for me. May God bless you until we meet again."

Tails checked his watch. Where was that Sonic? Fastest thing alive, but sometimes he seemed to take forever to show. Well, maybe he decided he didn't want to spend the day running from Amy again.

Tails suddenly realized he had opened a can of soda. "Another bad habit I picked up last year I'm going to need to break myself of," he thought. Well, at least it was corn syrup and not alcohol. He took a sip, then burped. "Yeah, definitely going to have to cut back on this stuff."

There was no time left to lose. Merlin clutched the tablets in one wrinkled hand, held up his staff with the other. "Chaos Control!" He found himself in front of his nephew's house. But he didn't go in there. Instead, he headed for the greenhouse. Tails had given him access to it. Despite his dislike for technology, he allowed his eye to be scanned, then hurriedly opened the door and stepped inside. He knew immediately where to go.

Tails cleaned out his kitchen. Tomorrow he'd go shopping for groceries. He found some bread that had little blue spots on it. He started to throw it out, then thought that it might be interesting to look at the mold under his microscope. He tore off the blue parts, then tossed out the rest of the bread. He took them to his lab, set them aside for later. It would be good to finally get back to his work full time.

Cream put on her prettiest party dress. Then, eager to see Tails, she went to her mother.

"Oh, my! Aren't you pretty today!" Vanilla said, sorting out the laundry. "Going somewhere?"

"Tails and Amy and Mister Sonic are coming over," Cream said. "I thought I'd go to Tails' house and walk him over here."

"That's nice," Vanilla said. "You're so helpful to your friends! Take good care of her, Cheese!"

"Chao chao!"

Cream and Cheese started towards Tails' house.

Tails analyzed the blue mold for a few moments, writing down some notes, then put it away in a freezer for later. He washed his hands at the sink in his lab, then returned to his kitchen. He shook his head. "A partial bag of rice, a jelly jar with a couple inches of jelly at the bottom, a half full box of cereal. I'm going to get yelled at for only having this much food in the house. Cream will cry, and Sonic and Amy will look at each other and shake their heads again. I hate when they do that! Well, guess I'll make a grocery list."

Tails heard a knock at the door. He started towards the front door, then stopped. The knock was coming from the back door. Who would come in that way? He set his soda can down, thereby avoiding a big spill. He reentered the kitchen. Walked to the back door. "I'm coming!" he called. "Just a minute!"

He opened the door…

And there she was. Standing on his doorstep. Looking just the way she always had before he'd been forced to take her away from him.

Tails bit his lower lip. "I--I thought I was doing better," he said. "I thought I was coping." He sighed. "Well, come on in. At least I'm having a beautiful hallucination."

"I'm not an hallucination, Tails," the vision said. He blinked. The illusions had never spoken to him before. Was he dreaming, then? Had he fallen asleep waiting for Sonic? "It's me, Tails!"

"Wha-wha-what?" Tails stammered. He could feel himself shaking.

She took his hand, removed his glove. "Here," she said softly, placing his bare hand against her cheek. "Touch me. Feel me. I'm not a vision, Tails. Not a dream. It's really me, Tails! I've come back to be with you! That is…if you still want me."

Tails opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. The world started to spin.

"Tails?" she asked. "Tails, are you all right?" Her voice seemed to be coming from very far away, and moving further off.

"Tails? Tails! What's wrong?"

Everything seemed dim, and growing dimmer. What was wrong with him?

Then, the floor seemed to rush up and smash into his face. From far, far away, he heard a scream.

"Tails! Tails, what's wrong? Speak to me! Tails! Tails! Tails!"

Then everything went black.

Cosmo's alive! But is Tails all right? Before finding out, don't miss the final chapter of After the Metarex: Cosmo's Story, coming soon!


End file.
